Official in Russia's fourth-largest city retracts HIV epidemic announcement
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 2 November 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Official in Russia's fourth-largest city retracts HIV epidemic announcement, 2 November 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a1ce13.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 02, 2016
Experts say real HIV figures in Russia might be higher than the official data as not all people infected with the virus seek help from medical institutions (file photo).
A Russian health official in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg has retracted her earlier statement that the HIV infection rate there has reached epidemic levels.
Tatyana Savinova, the first deputy chief of Yekaterinburg's health-care department, said on November 2 that she used the word "epidemic" in her earlier statement to express how medical personnel view the situation, adding that a HIV epidemic has not been officially announced in the city.
Savinova said earlier that 1.8 percent of the city's population was infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Experts have said that the real figure might be higher as not all HIV-affected people seek help from medical institutions.
With 1.4 million inhabitants, Yekaterinburg is Russia's fourth-largest city after Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk.
With reporting by ura.ru and TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
