The spread of AIDS in the Zhytomyr oblast is a rising threat and doctors’ efforts alone are not enough to overcome it. Deputy head of the oblast state administration, Ihor Rafalsky (who is also chairman of the said committee), quoted a few figures to corroborate this statement at a February 19 meeting of the oblast Coordination Council to Fight AIDS. As of January 1, 2003, 550 persons with HIV were registered in Zhytomyr oblast, 54 of whom have AIDS. Last year 39 persons died of this disease. According to medical statistics, these indicators significantly exceed those of 2001 (by 112, 15, and 14 persons respectively). Eight years ago there were only four reported cases of persons suffering from AIDS in the oblast. By experts’ estimates, the true number of virus carriers may be ten times more than those registered. Among the latter, 80% are drug addicts. Mr. Rafalsky stressed that the growth of HIV rate corresponds with those regions where the number of drug takers is increasing.
Simultaneously, Zhytomyr deputy mayor, Svitlana Pyvovarova, noted in her speech at the meeting that, due to lack of funds in the city budget, HIV-infected Zhytomyr residents have to pay for the anti-virus therapy themselves. As a result, they often give up treatment, because they can’t find the necessary hundreds and thousands of hryvnias. As The Day was informed at the healthcare department of Zhytomyr oblast state administration, the state budget allots money only for preventing the spread of the HIV-virus and AIDS among children born to HIV-positive women. It is left to local authorities to take care of all other citizens who contract the virus. The question remains open as to whether it is possible to overcome this extremely dangerous disease under such conditions, even if all AIDS cases were revealed, reports Valery KOSTIUKEVYCH , The Day .
In general, according to the forecasts by the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research (UISR), by 2010 the number of HIV-infected in Ukraine will reach between 582,000 and 1,440,000. Interfax Ukraine quotes head of the UISR, Oleksandr Yaremenko, as saying that at present the pessimistic scenario is more plausible. By estimates from both foreign and domestic experts, today 1% of adult Ukrainians (or over 400,000) are HIV-positive. According to the optimistic scenario, in 2010 the number of new HIV/AIDS cases will be over 44,300, with a death rate from HIV/AIDS at 43,400. At that, the population of Ukraine will be around 45 million, while without AIDS it would be 45.48 million. In the pessimistic scenario, there will be over 95,200 HIV/AIDS cases, 89,200 deaths, and the population will not exceed 44.89 million.
Mr. Yaremenko remarked that a number of research projects conducted by the Institute in 2002, in the framework of this project allows us to define major obstacles for the effective prevention of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine. In addition to the traditional lack of finance, cadre, and information resources, the experts discovered that politicians and local officials do not understand the range of this problem. “Many still believe that AIDS is a disease of only drug addicts and homosexuals,” Mr. Yaremenko stated. In addition to the major risk groups (injection drags takers and women involved in the sex industry), experts singled out other groups through which HIV/AIDS is spreading throughout the population at large. They include men using prostitutes, long distance drivers, job migrants, and some groups of the entertainment industry workers. He also identified at-risk groups that require closer attention (blood donors, prisoners, and soldiers).
