News

10.12.07

On December 5 - 6, 2007, a wrap-up meeting was held in Suzdal to review results of the AIDS and Hepatites B and C Component of the National Priority Health Project.

The meeting was opened by G.G. Onishchenko, Chief Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation, Head of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. He presented a report on results and prospects of implementing the national HIV and hepatites B and C response policy.

During the meeting Marina Shegai, Yulia Brodskaya and Ivan Vorontsov, Coordinators from the Russian Health Care Foundation, had meetings with chief physicians of Regional AIDS Centres participating in the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation to discuss program implementation issues.

07.12.07

On November 28-29, 2007, the Civil Initiative Magnitogorsk Charity Foundation delivered a training course for specialists titled A Multi-Professional Team as a Basis of HAART Adherence Maintenance. The Civil Initiative Foundation is implementing a project to establish multi-professional teams under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation.

The training objectives were as follows:
• to offer practical experience and skills of multi-professional care and support;
• to show trainees how they can cooperate through document turnover to stimulate and maintain HAART adherence;
• to discuss networking among specialists of an AIDS centre, narcology dispensary and TB dispensary.

The training took place in the conference hall of Alfa-Tsentr Magnitogorsk Business Centre. Trained specialists from the Civil Initiative Foundation presented a developed model of multi-professional cooperation to stimulate HAART adherence, shared practical skills of multi-professional work with all the training participants and discussed networking among specialists from different health facilities to improve the effectiveness, professionalism and timeliness of care to PLWHA.

04.12.07

Just before the World AIDS Day, training in HIV/AIDS Counselling Basics was delivered. The training was arranged by the Positive Development Organisation in the Altai Kray under a project aimed at developing non-medical services for people living with HIV/AIDS in the Altai Kray funded by the Russian Health Care Foundation. The training is provided with a view to expanding counselling services to people affected with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region.

The training was delivered to infectionists, and nurses working in infectious disease offices from following cities and rayons: Biysk, Biysk Rayon, Zonalny Rayon, Zarinsk, Zarinsk Rayon, Aleisky Rayon, Rubtsovsk, Rubtsovsk Rayon, Volchikhinsky Rayon, Slavgorod Rayon, Belokurikha, as well as to staff of non-governmental organisations providing AIDS-related services in these areas, and HIV-infected activists.

The training provided the following HIV/AIDS-related information:
- legal issues, social and psychological specifics of life with HIV;
- treatment and adherence;
- HIV-associated stigma and discrimination;
- HIV counselling skills;
- possibilities for involving people with HIV into provision of support services to broaden the scope of social and psychological services for HIV-infected people and their relatives and friends.

03.12.07

On November 30, 2007, a TV Program called AIDS Ambulance was shot in Dmitrov, Moscow Oblast, with financial support from the Russian Health Care Foundation. The program will be broadcast on December 23, 2007 through the TNT Federal TV Channel. On the same day, the Ice Palace will host a free night performance of V. Topalov, a popular singer.

As a reminder, from September 1 till October 20, 2007, fifteen Russian cities were visited by the Russian National STOP-AIDS Car Marathon. In each of the cities, a gala-concert of Yulia Chicherina, Lera Masskva and Vlad Topalov was offered to citizens, with Alexei Lysenkov participating in the concerts as an anchor. The Moscow Oblast was chosen to be the last region where a final concert dedicated to the World AIDS took place.

Prior to the concert, a briefing with A. Lysenkov, V. Topalov, and Yuri Nepomnyashchikh, General Producer of the STOP-AIDS Car Marathon, was held to inform journalists about the Russian National STOP-AIDS Car Marathon.

A. Lysenkov: “The Car Marathon helped not only to increase the visibility of the HIV/AIDS problem for civil society, and to convey essential information about HIV/AIDS to young people, but also to involve public authorities, businessmen and mass media in addressing the problem. “The more broad-based information campaigns like this Car Marathon (involving popular musicians) we have, the faster we shall change the attitude of general public to HIV-infected people”.

V. Topalov: “If at least one person coming to my concert when I sing and call people to take care of their health, stick to safe lifestyle, and be more tolerant to PLWHA would think over my words and start to behave accordingly, I shall be glad because it will mean that I have not wasted my time”.

Yuri Nepomnyashchikh: “This year, owing to support from the Russian Health Care Foundation (the General Sponsor of the Car Marathon) we have managed to draw attention of many specialists, journalists and young people to the epidemic growth. We receive a lot of favourable responses and letters of appreciation from the Governors of the regions visited by the Car Marathon, from principals of the schools where our volunteers delivered lectures. Preliminary results show that it was not in vain to hold the campaign, and we are not going to stop at this. Next year, we intend to arrange a Car Marathon from Arkhangelsk to Sochi.

30.11.07

In Barnaul, V. Volnov and A. Starastenko, specialists from the Siberian Initiative Non-Governmental Organisation, prepared a number of HIV/AIDS prevention activities on the occasion of the World AIDS Day.

In the preliminary detention centre for underage law offenders under the Altai Kray Directorate of Internal Affairs, an HIV/AIDS seminar was delivered to provide its inmates with basic information about HIV/AIDS. Health life style training is offered to specialists from municipal and civil society organisations of the Altai Kray which are engaged in planning and management of information centres for youth. The Altai Economics and Law Academy is intending to arrange an HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention talk-show for students of the 1 year. All training events are led by a team of high-skill specialists from the Siberian Initiative Non-Governmental Organisation.

In 2007, the Siberian Initiative Non-Governmental Organisation started to implement the a project aimed at establishing social bureaus for released HIV-infected prisoners in the Altai Kray under Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation implemented by the Russian Health Care Foundation.

29.11.07

On November 29, 2007 (at 02:00 p.p.), the Central House of Journalists hosted a press-conference with V.V. Pokrovsky, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Director of the Federal AIDS Centre.

The press-conference was held on the occasion of the World AIDS Day and its theme was AIDS: A Death Sentence or Life-Long Conviction?

As of December 1, 2007, there are over 400,000 registered HIV-persons in the Russian Federation. Once infected with HIV, one cannot be cured and is doomed to die within 5 - 15 years unless his life is supported with costly pharmaceuticals. By the year 2010, a million people may have died in Russia. Is Russian society capable of preventing this blow?

According V.V. Pokrovsky, in the Russian Federation, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment was provided by foreign organisations for a long time. Since November 2004, significant investments have been made by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Effective activities with an expanded coverage of population were implemented under the 4th Round Program.

28.11.07

The Ulyanovsk Regional Department of the Russian Red Cross (which is a partner of the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation) prepared a number of events dedicated to the World AIDS Day.

They include a public information campaign titled Health is Young People’s Right. The campaign focuses on health promotion and risky behaviour prevention with to view to protecting the youth of the Ulyanovsk Oblast through providing them with reliable information about HIV/AIDS. The campaign will include dissemination of the following publications:
- information booklet about reproductiove health, STDs, drug addiction, and violence prevention;
- thematic information leaflets;
- cards with telephone numbers of organisations providing free anonymous counselling services related to HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, and sexually transmitted infections.

Another event is a competition for the best poster under the motto My Perception of HIV. The competition is designated to improve students’ motivation towards healthy life style and tolerance to PLWHA. All participants are invited to avail upon their drawing skills to depict their understanding of the following notions (on a sheet of paper in the А1 format):
- HIV prevention;
- tolerance to PLWHA;
- safe behaviour.

Winners of the competition are awarded with symbolic diplomas and prizes.

27.11.07

According to A. Degtyarev, Head of the Civil Initiative Magnitogorsk Charity Foundation, a program of events for the World AIDS Day was jointly developed by this organisation and the local AIDS Centre.

During the period of November 26 - December 8, 2007, HIV/AIDS prevention seminars will be held in secondary schools in Magnitogorsk to cover over 1,500 students of the 9th- 11th grades in order to raise their awareness of HIV/AIDS and to develop tolerance to PLWHA.

On November 26 - December 1, 2007, another campaign will take place in the Magnitogorsk State Technical University under the motto: It matters for me. What about you? A questionnaire will be distributed among students of this University to assess the level of their HIV-related knowledge. It is also intended to disseminate leaflets and posters in the University to inform its students about HIV/AIDS.

On December 1, 2007, volunteers from the Civil Initiative Foundation will distribute leaflets with information about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the streets and in such places of mass gatherings as the Circus and two major entertainment centres. Each receiver of such a leaflet will be given a red ribbon sign to wear it to demonstrate solidarity with people living with HIV.

Since 2006, the Civil Initiative Magnitogorsk Charity Foundation has been implementing a project aimed at developing direct non-medical services for people living with HIV/AIDS under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation.

26.11.07

The Federal AIDS Centre and the Russian Health Care Foundation offer a course of training in HIV/AIDS treatment to be delivered on November 26 - 30, 2007. The training is meant for medical staff from the Regional AIDS Centres which joined the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation in 2007.

26.11.07

B. Tsvetkov, Chief Physician, Irkutsk Regional AIDS Centre, in collaboration with M. Akulova, Chairperson of the Irkutsk Regional Department of the Russian Red Cross, and P. Pavel Tsikolin, Director, Step Forward to Help You, Irkutsk Regional NGO, prepared a program of events dedicated to the World AIDS Day. The program was approved by Governor Tishanin. As a reminder, the Irkutsk Oblast had been among the first regions to joint the AIDS Program implemented by the Russian Health Care Foundation (in 2005).

On the World AIDS Day, a major public information campaign will include traditional HIV/AIDS prevention activities targeting young people in Irkutsk general and special secondary schools. The Irkutsk State Technical University will have an “HIV prevention month”. December 1, 2007, will be a day of “open doors” in the Irkutsk Regional AIDS Centre and health facilities which means that each person will have an opportunity to get acquainted with the work of the health facilities, to learn about HIV prevention and to go through HIV testing free of charge.

On December 3 and 4, the Irkutsk Regional AIDS Centre in conjunction with the Cinema Fund will offer young people prevention events in the Khudozhestvenny Culture and Entertainment Centre. On December 1, 2007, the Stratosphere Night Club will host another public awareness event for youth, including a loss-free lottery related to HIV/AIDS issues, and its participants will receive such “prizes” as publications, trinkets, T-shirts, condoms, etc..

On December 1, 2007, a press-conference will be arranged to give the floor to B. Tsvetkov, Chief Physician of the Irkutsk Regional AIDS Centre, and P. Tsikolin, Drug Use Control and HIV Prevention Advisor to the Irkutsk Oblast Governor, who will describe the HIV/AIDS epidemiological situation in the region and answer journalists’ questions.