HIV rate in Russia up 10% each year - Skvortsova
MOSCOW. Dec 1 (Interfax) - The all-Russia HIV testing day should be held twice a year, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova has said.
"Today is the Russian HIV/AIDS awareness day. Hopefully, these days will be regular to inform the population about this trouble. We would like such days to be held at least twice a year," Skvortsova said as the opening of the HIV testing campaign.
The number of registered HIV occurrences in the country is growing at least 10% a year, but only 4% of the population understands how dangerous this disease is, she said.
"The HIV infection problem has been growing; Russia had its first [HIV] case in 1988. More than 750,000 positive persons were officially registered this year, and their number grows at least 10% year-on-year," she said.
Nearly 92,500 new HIV occurrences were registered in 2014, Skvortsova said.