One percent of Russian population is HIV positive

MOSCOW. Nov 1 (Interfax) - One percent of the Russian population is HIV positive, Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the AIDS Center at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor), said.

"Regretfully, HIV has also been quite successful in Russia. Up to 1.5 million of our citizens are infected. That's 1% of the population," Pokrovsky said at a plenary meeting of the Pokrovsky Readings on Tuesday.

The number of people diagnosed with HIV is growing, "and the rise in morbidity is obvious despite numerous deaths," Pokrovsky said. Another 660,000 cases that would require medical attention are expected to be diagnosed between 2020 and 2030, he said.

In the opinion of experts, the infections will be growing 15%-20% worldwide, Pokrovsky said.