[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"core\/picturefill,entity_embed\/caption,views\/views.ajax,views\/views.module","theme":"hrw_design","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__288442__en":{"view_name":"blog_live_feed","view_display_id":"blog_body_block","view_args":"288442","view_path":"\/blog\/content\/288442","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__288442__en","pager_element":0}}},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"0ae5601d8790ff50fca3cf23b9ac9170285f2f75823ebdc8d9cc054bc03a679b"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":"\u003Clink rel=\u0022stylesheet\u0022 media=\u0022all\u0022 href=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_reI-6YIYy-k9pvxm-gaCRrn5cSrTZRtyAMrp4YXDUJw.css\u0022 \/\u003E\n"},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/sites\/default\/files\/js\/js_VkK39bvB4H6LLVemwPFz8QWcUMTFqZ3FFo_LBVv_4vs.js"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"replaceWith","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__288442__en","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__288442__en\u0022\u003E\n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n\n \u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022blog-block__content__description rich-text pt-6 mb:pt-10 mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is in retreat almost universally \u2013 but not in Russia. As infection rates drop globally, Russia has seen increases of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/kommersant.ru\/doc\/2945376\u0022\u003E8 to 10 percent\u003C\/a\u003E annually over the last decade. The number of Russians living with HIV surpassed 1 million, according to official data release in January, but experts believe the real number to be closer to 1.5 million. The head of Russia\u2019s Federal AIDS Center recently \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/magazine-32792830\u0022\u003Edescribe\u003C\/a\u003Ed the situation as a \u201cnational catastrophe.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u0026#13;\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed\u0022 data-type=\u0022image\u0022\u003E\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/9081\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/media\/images\/photographs\/2007_Russia_Drugs.jpg?itok=fXGAaJqE 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/media\/images\/photographs\/2007_Russia_Drugs.jpg?itok=WdtbHDSz 850w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/media\/images\/photographs\/2007_Russia_Drugs.jpg?itok=WdtbHDSz\u0022 width=\u0022850\u0022 height=\u0022567\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 typeof=\u0022foaf:Image\u0022 \/\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewbox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=#sprite-expand\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EUsed needles being returned to a needle exchange point in St. Petersburg, Russia. \u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2007 Lorena Ros\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tOne of the main reasons behind the spread of the virus is the Russian government\u2019s obstinate refusal to implement HIV prevention measures, such as needle exchange, that have helped other countries drastically reduce \u2013 and in some cases almost eliminate \u2013 transmission of HIV among injecting drug users. Sixty percent of HIV infections in Russia occur through injections.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tYet, two weeks ago, Russia\u2019s top drug official \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rg.ru\/2016\/03\/22\/glava-fskn-vystupil-protiv-prinuditelnogo-lecheniia-ot-narkomanii.html\u0022\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E he strongly opposes harm reduction programs in the country, such as distribution of free syringes to limit drug injectors\u2019 risk of HIV infection. Russia also bans methadone replacement therapy for drug users dependent on opioids such as heroin. Despite overwhelming evidence from numerous countries of their effectiveness, the Russian drug agency calls harm reduction programs ineffective and dangerous to the general population.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tDuring negotiations in preparation for the April United Nations General Assembly session on drugs, Russia has even blocked inclusion of the term \u201charm reduction\u201d in the document, even though UN agencies, such as the UNAIDS, the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, and the World Health Organization, have all endorsed the approach.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tIronically, a week after Russia vetoed mention of harm reduction in the UN document, Moscow hosted the Fifth Eastern Europe and Central Asia AIDS Conference. At the conference, the Russian government pledged to help combat the HIV epidemic worldwide but failed to announce any measures to counteract the sharing of needles among drug users, the driving force behind its own epidemic. Meanwhile, 20 regions in Russian are now considered to have \u201cgeneralized epidemics,\u201d meaning that more than 1 percent of the general population is infected. UNAIDS considers this to be the threshold where an epidemic concentrated in a high risk group, such as injecting drug users, can start spilling over into the general population \u2013 \u00a0and spread rapidly through sexual contact.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026#13;\n\tIt is high time for the Russian government to start acting in a manner consistent with the right to health, and abandon its opposition to evidence-based HIV prevention strategies. Its own citizens \u2013 and not just those who use drugs \u2013 are paying the high price.\u003C\/div\u003E\u0026#13;\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]