On the scale of HIV infections and AIDS, Russia could become the second South Africa. Meanwhile, the government is paying minimal attention to combating this disease. And activists who are engaged in HIV prevention, are waiting for punishment, writes FAZ columnist Peter-Philippe Schmitt.

"Russia can become the second South African Republic. Vladimir Putin absolutely consciously leads his huge state to disaster, as did Thabo Mbeki. The former president of South Africa denied the existence of HIV / AIDS, and, accordingly, saw no need to provide his people with drugs to treat HIV infections that could save lives. As a result, more than seven million South Africans today are HIV-positive.

The Russian president, in turn, generally ignores such a problem as HIV infection. Since the HIV-infected residents of his vast country have long belonged to the so-called "risk group", Putin could afford to deny them help and support. Virtually no Russian in the country is bothered by the fate of drug addicts, homosexuals or prostitutes. And criticism from abroad Putin worries a little. But over time he must understand that he can make mistakes in his calculations. Because, like once in South Africa, tens of thousands of young and educated people who fall into the disease and die from HIV / AIDS, who could become a work force.

To date, the number of people infected with HIV continues to grow in only one of the largest regions of the world - Eastern Europe and Central Asia, with 80%. Even in South Africa, where two-thirds of HIV-infected people now receive the necessary medicines and receive therapy so that the disease does not spread further, the number of new cases of HIV infection decreases. The epidemic of HIV / AIDS in Russia from 160 thousand. new cases of infection a year are slightly different than in the whole world: more than half of HIV carriers were infected with contaminated syringes and needles. The carriers of the human immunodeficiency virus are often drug addicts.

The number of people infected with HIV infection during sexual intercourse, especially among homosexuals, also increases. The dramatic situation has developed in the large cities of Eastern Europe. In Kiev, every sixth homosexual is HIV-positive, in St. Petersburg and Tbilisi - every fourth.

Putin has so far shown himself not particularly susceptible to such arguments. All the recommendations from the World Health Organization, the all-powerful president deliberately ignored - especially in alliance with the Russian Orthodox Church, which took his side. The words "HIV" and "AIDS" Putin for his 18 years of government have never said publicly.

The situation is not explained or commented on in his country, education is not being done either in schools or elsewhere. Most Russians do not know what HIV is, and how this disease spreads. If the person who carries a condom is stopped by the police, he will be considered a commercial sex worker and in the worst case even be judged for it.

Every second HIV-infected woman in Russia learns about her diagnosis only during pregnancy or during childbirth. It has long been possible to prevent the transmission of HIV / AIDS from mother to child with the help of medications. But in Russia the possibility of obtaining the necessary drugs is at least one-third of those infected.

Anyone who in Russia is trying to pay attention to the problem of HIV / AIDS by engaging in enlightenment, makes himself a suspect and can be punished for this. Five years ago, a law was passed in the country, according to which public propaganda of homosexuality is banned. Humanitarian organizations that receive funding from abroad must register as "foreign agents". When the law came into force in 2012, many international organizations left the country. But Putin even before this limited the flow of funds from international funds to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. This affects the situation to this day. Regularly somewhere in Russia there is not enough medicine against HIV, which leads to severe consequences for patients and can lead to resistance of the virus.

Since Russia's influence is great, many neighboring countries pursue a policy similar to Putin's. In particular, it is about banning methadone substitution treatment for drug addicts who use heroin, or about the prohibition of a needle and needle replacement program. At the same time, the costs incurred by the state, bringing the addict to justice, are 3-5 times higher than the amounts necessary for the implementation of WHO recommended preventive measures in the fight against HIV / AIDS.

Head of the Federal Center for AIDS Prevention and Control Vadim Pokrovsky cautiously criticizes President Putin. According to his estimates, already 2 million Russians are HIV-infected. In addition, in Russia, hundreds of thousands of patients with hepatitis C and tuberculosis. From tuberculosis, especially in an open form, more people die in the world than from AIDS, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Putin just a few months ago recognized the danger of tuberculosis for Russians. At the international WHO conference in Moscow, he demanded by joint efforts to combat this global threat. Some time later, the Russian government almost imperceptibly increased the budget for combating HIV / AIDS from 18 to 22 billion rubles. Vadim Pokrovsky at an international conference in Amsterdam dedicated to the fight against AIDS, regarded this as a positive signal ".

Source: DW.