December 1st Is World AIDS Day

December 1st is World AIDS Day

A free Rospotrebnadzor hotline has started operating in Russia: within a week, by phone at 8 800 555 49 43, specialists will answer questions related to HIV infection. From December 1 to December 3, it will be possible to find out your HIV status for free by passing the test at the offices of the Center for Molecular Diagnostics of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor throughout Russia using the promo code # STOPVICHSPID.

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A round-the-clock toll-free hotline of Rospotrebnadzor on HIV infection began operating in Russia. During the week, by phone 8 800 555 49 43, specialists will answer questions about disease prevention and safe behavior, where it is possible to undergo free and anonymous testing, what is the epidemiological situation in the region. From December 1 to December 3, it will be possible to find out your HIV status for free by passing an analysis at the medical offices of the Center for Molecular Diagnostics (CMD) of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor and partners throughout Russia using the # STOPVICHSPID promo code.

The spread of HIV infection remains one of the main problems of mankind, remind in Rospotrebnadzor: today, according to WHO, there are 37.9 million people living with HIV in the world. In Russia, the HIV prevalence rate is 686.2 per 100 thousand of the population. HIV infection was diagnosed in 1.2% of the population aged 15–49 years, and the most active group of 35–39 years old is especially affected. In the age group 30–40 years, 4% of men and 3% of women are already infected.

Today, HIV infection has gone beyond the boundaries of risk groups, and anyone who does not follow the rules of prevention can become infected. In 2018, sexual transmission of HIV infection was registered in more than 60% of all new cases. At the same time, about 25% of infected people do not know about their positive status, the virus can be present in the body for decades without any clinical manifestations, recalls the head of the Federal Scientific and Methodological Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vadim Pokrovsky.

There is no medicine yet that can completely defeat this infection, but thanks to effective antiretroviral therapy, the virus can be controlled and its transmission prevented

Fundamentally new approaches to the treatment of HIV infection are also being developed, said the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor. We are talking about the creation of gene therapy drugs that do not kill the virus, but change the human genome, making it invulnerable to HIV. Thus, the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor has developed its own platform for the production of components of the CRISPR directed genome editing system, has already received a Russian patent for its invention and is preparing an application to the International Patent Office. This is a very promising area, but for now it is a matter of the future.

Today, the main measures to prevent the epidemic remain the prevention and early diagnosis of HIV infection. The main objectives of the #STOPVICHSPID campaign are early HIV diagnosis, as well as raising awareness of citizens about the ways of HIV transmission, risk factors and measures of protection against infection.

No matter what lifestyle a person leads, experts recommend checking your HIV status once a year. If the result is negative, the patient is not at risk, and over the past six months there have been no risk factors in his life, then in this case you can calm down. Otherwise, you need to contact an infectious disease doctor or the territorial AIDS center.

Other expert advice includes safe sex, avoiding risky behaviors and injecting drugs. Any invasive procedure involving blood is potentially dangerous. Household contacts need not be feared: HIV is not transmitted by shaking hands, kissing, sharing towels, dishes and cutlery.