Study Finds 37.4% HIV Prevalence Among Street Youth in Russia

[rodeodance]

Source: reuters



Study Finds 37.4% HIV Prevalence Among Street Youth in Russia
12 Nov 2007 15:31:00 GMT
Source: Doctors of the World-USA
Daniel Kricheff


ALARMING RATE EXCEEDS PREVIOUS ESTIMATES; PREVALENCE AMONG CERTAIN SUBGROUPS IS AMONG HIGHEST REPORTED IN WORLD

A study published in the November 1, 2007 issue of the journal AIDS reports that 37.4% of street youth between the ages of 15 and 19 years old surveyed in St. Petersburg, Russia are HIV-positive, placing street youth in Russia among the populations most at-risk for HIV around the world. The study, conducted by the health and human rights organization Doctors of the World-USA (DOW), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the City AIDS Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, found that factors such as injection drug use, unsafe sexual practices, homelessness, and orphanhood were prime drivers of HIV transmission in this group.

"These results underscore the urgent need to increase efforts focused on youth," said Tom Dougherty, DOW Executive Director. "Information on how HIV is transmitted is not enough - we must reach out to at-risk youth with programs that engage them and give them hope for a future."

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/218478/119488173246.htm

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Wow! There are that many gay men in Russia?

I mean, everyone knows that only gay men are able to get HIV and that anyone with HIV must be gay.

:sarcasm: (in case it wasn't obvious.)

[XemaSab]

2. This is really depressing

Probably IV drug use and prostitution are responsible for this high rate... Hard to tell the kids to use clean needles when even many hospitals in Russia don't. :(

[Joanne98]

3. Capitalism/Freedom...ain't it grand. They had no HIV before...

[XemaSab]

11. Either that or the communist government denied the existence of HIV

:shrug:

[donsu]

4. how sad - between alcohol and HIV Russians have a big problem

the percentage of alcoholics in Russia is way more then for HIV

if we knew the percentage of alcoholics in the US, we would faint.

[rodeodance]

5. P-U=Tin needs to pay attention to his people

[villager]

6. like "100%" in the President's office?

n/t

[tuckessee]

7. Factor in their negative birth rate

and it's safe to say the Russians are toast.

[Odin2005]

8. Russia is going to have a demographic implosion at this rate.

The Chinese will just be able to walk in and annex Siberia without a fight because there won't be enough Russians to keep control of it with the mix of low birthrates and this.

[Hardrada]

9. How is the German birth rate doing?

[SoCalDem]

12. Guess what? China will have (or may already have) an AIDS explosion too

combine that with the excessive exposure to chemicals & pollution, and I'm guessing that China will be a LOT smaller, number-wise, in a generation or so..A big military requires young and healthy males..and a steady stream of them.. They may be in short supply if diseases like TB and AIDS ravage their country..

[barb162]

10. That's a really sad statistic.

Sheesh