Russia Managed To Get Grip On Spread Of HIV Infection - Health Minister

Ussia has managed to take the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) under control thanks to an increase in testing coverage of the population and has improved the access of HIV-infected people to antiretroviral therapy, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) Russia has managed to take the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) under control thanks to an increase in testing coverage of the population and has improved the access of HIV-infected people to antiretroviral therapy, Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said on Wednesday.

"We've managed, perhaps, for the first time in the past decade, to take control of HIV infection. The morbidity rate is no longer growing, it remained at the level of the previous two years," Skvortsova told reporters.

Free HIV testing covered 38 million people, or 26 percent of the country's population, she recalled.

"Most importantly, we dramatically increased coverage of free and proper treatment for the HIV patients, we have now reached 60 percent. But we need to boost it to 90 percent. And we plan to exceed 70 percent this year and reach 90 next year," the minister said.

According to Skvortsova, if the planned steps are taken this year, HIV morbidity rate in Russia will decline.