Press-Release №30

 Questions with no answers

Citizens of Chechnya have threat of “plague of XX - centuries" - AIDS.

            During several years the plague of the XX centuries slowly kills inhabitants of the Chechen Republic. According to experts, recently the rate of AIDS has grown in republic several times (some physicians speaking about relentless growth of HIV-infection mention from 13 up to 15 percent). There is information that every month in the Chechen Republic 20 carriers of a dangerous virus are revealed.

            At the end of the last year, in the republic, according to the official information, there were 873 HIV-infected citizens, among which were 30 children and 189 women. Moreover, at that time there were 112 married couples in the republic, where not only spouses, but also children were carriers of the virus. Only in 2007 more than 80 children with congenital disease of AIDS were born. Geography of dissemination of the HIV-infection covers more than 100 settlements of the republic.

            Thus, it is necessary to note that majority of people with AIDS in the republic are drug addicts. According to some information, more 50 percent of patients of the AIDS Center are drug addicts. It is well-known fact that intravenous drug users frequently use one syringe for everyone, and if there is one with HIV, then he infects the others. The statistics state that 51 % of cases of infection is connected with usage of intravenous drugs. Then comes a sexual way of transfer of the dangerous virus. The third is infection of a child though a mother.

            According to several experts, dissemination of the HIV-infection in territory of the Chechen Republic speaks not only about the problem of AIDS, but about the real epidemic of this disease, which, in the nearest years may literally overflow the whole republic. Only in last years in the Chechen Republic about 90 persons died from this illness.

            Authorities of the Chechen Republic try somehow to resolve the problem of expanding of the HIV-infection in the republic. Last year special equipment allowing to make laboratory diagnostics (general, biochemical, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) analysis) and to reveal carriers of the HIV-infection at an early stage of this disease was purchased. However, the thing is that not all patients with plague of XX - centuries approach medical facilities for assistance or the AIDS center. Many of them, probably, do not realize about presence of the AIDS in them, and others are simply afraid of that the information on their illness will become public.

According to one of the medical workers, treatment of one person with a virus of immunodeficiency estimates more than 10 thousand dollars every year. Only patients, whose immune system already decently undermined by the virus, receive necessary medicines. Experts also say that at a stage of development of AIDS, when patients are practically unprotected from any infection, they fall ill also with other, not less dangerous disease, tuberculosis.

            It is obvious that struggle against AIDS should be conducted not only at the republican or federal level. The HIV-infection threatens all our society, which means the society should be more active in issues of prevention and struggle against this disease. It is necessary to understand that this problem can touch each person, that AIDS represents a serious threat to our future, that today we raise the issue of health of the whole generation of inhabitants of the republic.

23 May 2008

Information Center for CNO 

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