HIV/AIDS: The Eastern Front

The state that is now the Russia Federation, was once a mighty empire, the likes of which saw great Czars that fostered art and science, defeated both Napoleon and Hitler's imperialistic ambitions, and once stood toe to toe with the greatest superpower that the world has ever seen.

Now, a superpower in recovery, so to speak, Russia is facing a new enemy. This enemy is more difficult to mount a defense against than the French Empire, Nazi Germany and the United States combined.

Behind Africa, Russia is now facing the world's second largest HIV/AIDS epidemic; a grave threat to both the people of Russia and of Eastern Europe.As the HIV/AIDS virus spreads throughout Eastern Europe it has a greater chance of affecting the inhabitants; as the virus spreads throughout Russia, it places in jeopardy the country's international interests and national security. As cases of this epidemic multiply, it becomes ever more crucial that the international community attack this crisis as a whole

In Moscow, on November 28^th of 2001, UNAIDS Director Dr Peter Piot, made clear that, "HIV is spreading rapidly throughout the entire Eastern European region - a quarter of a million new cases only this year. HIV/AIDS is unequivocally the most devastating disease we have ever faced, and it will get worse before it gets better."

This clearly illustrates the rate at which the "African epidemic" is spreading in the Russian region of the world. It also clearly demonstrates that this problem is not the problem of Russia alone, but also the problem of the whole of Europe.

Russia has been battling HIV/AIDS since 1986. The story goes that the first knows case of the disease appeared in the country when a Russian who contracted the virus in Africa spread it to fifteen Soviet soldiers through homosexual intercourse.

However, homosexual activity has only been identified as the primary risk factor for 0.5 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases. In the vast majority of cases in Russia - 57.8 percent - injection drug use has been identified as the primary factor for exposure and transmission.

Even though the primary risk factor for the remaining 38 percent of cases could not be identified, further evidence indicates that injection drug use is the primary factor for these infections as well.

By November 2002, 77.75 percent of all infected persons in Russia were male. This is because the number of injection drug use among women is 70 to 75 percent lower than it is amongst men.

At the start of 2001 there were 412,000 injection drug users registered with the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; data from the World Health Organization indicates that the actual numbers of users are ten times that amount, or about four million. The Russian Ministry of health estimates that two thirds of HIV/AIDS cases within Russian borders are transmitted by injection drug use.

Russian Primer Vladimir Putin has rightfully called the rising drug problem, "A direct threat to the national security of the state."

The majority of injection drugs are smuggled into Russia across the southern border through Afghanistan. The UNODCCP estimates that 75 percent of the world's opiates are manufactured in Afghanistan as well as 90 percent of Europe's heroin. Other reports show that since the US led war on Afghanistan began after September the 11^th, 2001 began, the Taliban and Al Qaeda began dumping their opiate stock piles on the world markets, causing the price of heroin in Russian cities to decrease by 60 percent, which in turn caused demand to increase by almost 20 percent. Though the price of such drugs has subsequently increased, the demand levels have not dropped off.

There is also anecdotal evidence to suggest that needle sharing between injection drug users takes place more frequently in Russia than other regions of the world primarily as a lack of money and the high cost of syringes.

Due to the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases within their national borders; Russian officials have put in place a number of laws to help slow the swell of the disease. One step was to put laws on the books that allow for needles and syringes to be purchased legally from and drug store or pharmacy by anyone, and without a prescription.

Russia has also put in place strict anti-drug laws which were created in order to reduce the number of new infections. Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code prohibits possession, sale, manufacture, or production of illegal illicit drugs.

In 1995 Russia established laws regarding the rights of infected citizens. Under such legislation, the Russian state guarantees anonymous medical examinations for the detection of HIV/AIDS, pre and post test counseling, free education on the virus, free medical care, social welfare, and drugs for infected individuals. The said legislation also specifies that discrimination against those infected with HIV/AIDS is illegal.

The people of Russia feel that infection is proof of immorality, and though 30 percent of their population feel that those who have contracted the virus should be isolated from society. The government has put into place free public education programs regarding the virus, and is working to change public perception of its victims.

In order to combat the spread of infection more effectively, Russia has also established eighty-eight AIDS control centers throughout many major cities through the State Department for Sanitary-epidemiological Surveillance (SES) of the Russian Ministry of Health. The initial purposes of the AIDS control centers were to gather data and to monitor compliance with epidemic control regulations. These AIDS control centers have since turned into a care provider network specifically for HIV patients.

Russia believes that the UN and the international community must act to control HIV/AIDS by acting to control drug trafficking especially in the nation of Afghanistan. If the supply of injection drugs - the primary cause of HIV/AIDS - is eliminated or reduced, then the proliferation of HIV/AIDS will be also be abridged.

Unlike politicians in the US that are hampered by socio-religious politics, Russian leaders willingly admit that assistance in the means of free syringes to distribute to the public by functionalist organizations within the UN may help to slow the spread of the virus.

Fortunately, many leaders within the EU view the Russian Federation to be a potential gateway to the west. With European and UN assistance, the opiate trade in Afghanistan and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the former bi-hegemonic power may slow to a trickle.