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18.09.07

On September 17, 2007, the 3rd Regional Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria for Grant Recipient Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia was opened in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The meeting was opened by Sandra E. Roelofs, the first lady of Georgia who is the Chairperson of the Georgian CCM. In her keynote address, she emphasized the significance and effectiveness of the Global Fund’s efforts against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the whole world, and in Georgia, in particular.
Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, noted in his policy statement that unlike some other donor entities, the Global Fund is guided by priorities of recipient countries rather than by donor countries. Again, unlike other donors, instead of technical assistance in program development and implementation, the Global Fund is providing funding for country-driven programs. He also stressed the need to promote harm reduction projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This is an explicitly progressive practice: many countries of the region have succeeded with the introduction of substitutive therapy which was deemed senseless some years ago. Nevertheless, most of the governments are still resisting the development of harm reduction practices, thus opposing respective initiatives of civil society. Mr. Kazatchkine also noted the need for such a HR component as needle exchange, including that in prisons.
Mr. Kazatchkine is one of the first promoters of needle exchange and harm reduction in general. In the 1990-ies, he opened a night clinic for HIV-infected people in Paris to provide care to them on a confidential basis.


17.09.07

Today (September 17, 2007), Irkutsk welcomes the Russian National STOP-AIDS Car Marathon which arrived there at 10:00 a.m. The Marathon organisers (including the Russian Health Care Foundation) answered journalists’ questions and told them about the forth-coming marathon-related events in Irkutsk.

Then, a representative from the Russian Health Care Foundation handed to Yu. Nepomnyashchikh, Director General, Presexpert TV Company, Manager of the STOP-AIDS Car Marathon, an emblem of their cooperation under the 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.

During a meeting with B. Tsvetkov, Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre, and M. Akulova, Chairperson, Irkutsk Department, Russian Red Cross, A. Pankratov, from the Russian Health Care Foundation, discussed with them some issues of collaboration between civil society and public authorities in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention which will be raised at a meeting of the Regional Board under the Irkutsk Oblast Governor’s Office on September 18, 2007.


14.09.07

The STOP-AIDS Car Marathon is arriving in Irkutsk to launch a five-day HIV prevention campaign there.

The campaign will include lectures and trainings for students in Irkutsk, Angarsk and Usolye-Sibirian. In addition, within the month to follow, each person will have an opportunity to go through blood testing for HIV in the Regional AIDS Centre. All the campaign participants will receive souvenirs and invitations to a charity show to take place on September 21, 2007 at the Irkutsk Stadium. Both local groups and such stars as Vlad Topalov, Yulya Chicherina and the Konets Filma Group will participate in the concert. According to the marathon organizers, such campaigns target primarily young people to warn them against the danger of getting infected.

“This problem is a real challenge to our society as a whole rather than a problem to be addressed by a sector or agency,” said Pavel Tsikolin, Drug Use Control and HIV Prevention Advisor to the Irkutsk Governor, “The most prevalent path of the HIV transmission is through sexual contacts, and hence the main risk group is our youth. So, we should, first of all, make them aware of the threat, increase its visibility and promote behaviour change and healthy life style to raise their self-respect”.


03.09.07

September 1, 2007, 07:00 p.m.: The central square of Vladivostok became the venue of a big concert of Lera Masskva, Vlad Topalov, and Yulya Chicherina. After the concert, the Car Marathon departed for Khabarovsk and arrived there on September 3.

On the same day (at 12.30), Yulia Brodskaya, Program Coordinator from the Russian Health Care Foundation, had a meeting in the Ministry of Health of the Khabarovsk Kray with O. Ushakova, Head of its Health Care Division, and A. Zherdeva, Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre. They discussed their future cooperation and the intention to sign an Agreement between the AIDS Centre and the Russian Health Care Foundation under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation, to supply ARV drugs in adequate amounts to treat patients in prisons and migrants who do not have Russian citizenship, but reside in the Khabarovsk Kray and are in need of treatment.

In the afternoon, the Khabarovsk Kray Administration hosted a roundtable focused on Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention. It brought together representatives from the Regional Administration, stakeholder ministries and agencies, various institutions and civil society organisations involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in the Khabarovsk Kray.

The roundtable was attended by A.Vitko, Minister of Health of the Khabarovsk Kray, O. Trotsenko, Representative of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Far East Federal District, Yu. Brodskaya, Program Coordinator, Russian Health Care Foundation, Yu. Nepomnyashchikh, Director General, Presexpert Company, Producer of the AIDS Ambulance TV Program, A. Zherdeva, Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre, E. Molodyukova from the Regional AIDS Centre, V. Makarchuk from the Russian Red Cross, and over thirty invited participants from various agencies of the Khabarovsk Kray, civil society organisations, the PLWHA community and mass media.

Yu. Brodskaya, Program Coordinator from the Russian Health Care Foundation, made a presentation about the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation in the form of a short video film prepared for this roundtable.

Particularly hot disputes arose from the presentation made by E. Molodyukova (from the Regional AIDS Centre) about harm reduction programs for injection drug users, their appropriateness and effectiveness if properly managed.


31.08.07

Today (August 31, 2007), at 09:00 a.m., the Primorsky Kray Administration hosted a roundtable focused on Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention. It brought together representatives from the Regional Administration, stakeholder ministries and agencies, various institutions and civil society organisations involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in the Primorsky Kray.

The roundtable was attended by L. Drozdova, Vice-Governor of the Primorsky Kray, O. Trotsenko, Representative of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Far East Federal District, A. Gerish, Head, Youth Policies and Social Care Division, Public Education Department, City of Moscow, V. Ushakov, Director, Health Department, Primorsky Kray Administration, Yu. Brodskaya, Program Coordinator, Russian Health Care Foundation, Yu. Nepomnyashchikh, Director General, Presexpert TV Company, Producer of the AIDS Ambulance TV Program, S. Sotnichenko, Chief Physician, Regional AIDS Clinical Centre, E. Voitovskaya, Life Non-Commercial Organisation, and over thirty invited participants from various agencies of the Primorsky Kray, civil society organisations, the PLWHA community and mass media.

The meeting started with an address made by L. Drozdova, Vice-Governor of the Primorsky Kray:

“HIV/AIDS is a critically grave problem for the Primorsky Kray. As of August 1, 2007, there were 6,945 identified HIV-infected persons in the region (i.e. 343.6 per 100,000 population which is 1.3 times more than in Russia on the average). The Primorsky Kray accounts for 74.8% of the total number of HIV-infected people in the Far East Federal District. Mortality among HIV-infected people reached 1,327 deaths, including 124 deaths from AIDS.
The point is that HIV hits young people at the ages of 30 - 40, i.e. the working-age population. The most vulnerable groups are injection drug users and prisoners.
HIV/AIDS prevention among children and youth is a top priority for the Regional Administration’s Health Department and many other departments (the Departments of Education and Science, Culture, Committee for Underage Children Affairs, Internal Affairs Directorate, etc.). In view of the current situation, the Regional Health Department in collaboration with the Regional AIDS Centre developed and approved a regional targeted Anti-HIV/AIDS Program for 2007 - 2008.

O. Trotsenko, Representative of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Far East Federal District, told the audience about gained experience of cooperation between federal authorities and non-commercial organisations in the area of AIDS and communicable disease prevention and control, as well as about the progress of the HIV, Hepatites B and C Prevention and HIV Identification and Treatment Component under the National Priority Project.

“The Far East has noted upward trends in the AIDS incidence, mortality among HIV infected people and the number of people in need of antiretroviral treatment. So, in 2006, there was almost a 4-fold increase in the number of AIDS patients compared with the year 2003 (from 79 to 320 cases), and the number of deaths doubled during the same period from 188 to 399.
A recent HIV/AIDS epidemic analysis shows that both in Russia as a whole and in the Far East Federal District, the main drivers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic are the high prevalence of needle sharing by drug users and dangerous sexual behaviour. The most epidemically significant risk groups are IDUs, their drug use and sex partners as well as young people who have promiscuous and unprotected sexual contacts.

Among the adolescent population, 44.8 % (or 4.9 million persons) are using drugs or have tried them at least once (according to the Social Survey Centre under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation). Up to 80 % of the identified drug addicts use injection drugs belonging to the opiate group (heroine, opium, morphine).
HIV/AIDS is not a problem of the health sector alone. The epidemic poses a threat to human development which means that it is a social problem. It is also an economic problem since this disease shortens human life and impairs its quality, making the burden of the public health system ever heavier. Therefore, the overall goal is formulated as follows: to ensure that the response to the epidemic should supersede the epidemic growth rate.

In 2007, the HIV, Hepatites B and C Prevention and HIV Identification and Treatment Component of the National Priority Project must, first of all, improve access to and quality of HIV-related health care. Currently, about 28,000 people receive pharmaceuticals to treat HIV, with 21,541 of them receiving them under the National Priority Project. Prison health facilities provide treatment to 2,386 patients.
During the first 7 months of 2007, 3,298 HIV-infected women completed full-fledged regimens of chemoprophylaxis, and 654 babies born of HIV-infected mothers are now under antiretroviral therapy.

By the end of 2007, the National Priority Health Project will provide ARV therapy to 8,459 more HIV-infected people.
The STOP-AIDS Car Marathon shows that senior officials of the country are committed to and directly involved into answering the challenges related to HIV/AIDS and viral hepatites B and C.

A. Gerish, Head, Youth Policies and Social Care Division, Public Education Department, City of Moscow, reported about the HIV/AIDS prevention activities implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, including the following steps:

1. HIV prevention issues were included in the federal component of the national educational standard and the framework general education curricula for biology and basics of life and activity safety.
2. A concept of preventive training was developed.
3. Programs of training in HIV/AIDS prevention were developed and are tested in schools (pedagogical higher schools and continuous education institutions for school personnel).
4. Seven lead continuous education centres train specialists in HIV/AIDS prevention.
5. Methodological guidelines for HIV/AIDS prevention training were developed and are tested in schools (they are meant for teachers and students of pedagogical higher schools, students of non-pedagogical higher schools, and for parents).
As regards drawbacks of the HIV/AIDS prevention training program development and implementation, they are as follows: they fail to reflect the specifics of target groups; specialists have inadequate capacity; there are no proper contacts with students’ parents; the education authorities fail to supervise the program implementation at the school level in a proper manner.
Yu. Brodskaya, from the Russian Health Care Foundation, reported about the progress of the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation, and outlined prospects of cooperation with the Primorsky Kray under this Program.
Upon presentation, Yulia Brodskaya handed to L. Drozdova, Vice-Governor of the Primorsky Kray, and S. Sotnichenko, Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre, a emblem of cooperation between the Russian Health Care Foundation and the Primorsky Kray Administration which is the RHCF’s partner under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation.

After a break, the roundtable participants discussed regional problems related to HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention and potential ways to address them.
A particularly hot dispute arose during the discussion of HIV/AIDS prevention among vulnerable populations in the Primorsky Kray, IDUs, and CSWs through harm reduction programs. Another issue which gave rise to hot debates was abandoned children deprived of the opportunity to be sent in boarding schools and orphanages due to their poor health. The participants also actively discussed such issues as HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in schools: who, when and how should talk with students of secondary schools about the HIV transmission ways. Furthermore, they identified the need of additional funding for preventive programs to be provided by the Primorsky Kray Administration.

The roundtable discussions took four hours, and in conclusion, senior officials of the region promised to undertake to go in all the issues and problems related to HIV prevention and treatment in the Primorsky Kray as raised by the roundtable participants, to render needed support and help to governmental and non-commercial organisations in arresting the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region.


30.08.07

Vladivostok, August 30, 2007: Yulia Brodskaya, Program Coordinator, Russian Health Care Foundation, had a meeting with S. Sotnichenko, Chief Physician, Regional AIDS Centre, representatives from civil society organisations and the PLWHA community.

The Primorsky Kray is one of the six new regions which joined the Program on September 1, 2007.

During the meeting, Yulia Brodskaya outlined prospects of implementing the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation in the Primorsky Kray. They negotiated a Program Participation Agreement with this region; reached an agreement to supply ARV drugs for HIV-infected patients and equipment; and discussed future participation of the region in grant-funded projects implemented by the Russian Health Care Foundation.

Yulia Brodskaya also met with representatives from civil society organisations and the PLWHA community in Vladivostok to discuss opportunities for developing non-medical services, establishing multi-professional teams, and supporting harm reduction programs for vulnerable populations in the Primorsky Kray.

Tomorrow, on August 31, 2007, at 09:00 a.m., the Primorsky Kray Administration will host a roundtable to discuss Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention. It will bring together representatives from the Regional Administration, stakeholder ministries and agencies, various institutions and civil society organisations involved in HIV/AIDS prevention in the Primorsky Kray. The event will be opened by L. Drozdova, Vice-Governor in charge of social affairs. The Russian Health Care Foundation will be represented by Yulia Brodskaya to make an introductory presentation of the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation and outline prospects of its implementation in the Primorsky Kray which started on September 1, 2007.

This roundtable will also launch the Russian National STOP-AIDS Car Marathon from Vladivostok to Moscow.


16.08.07

14 августа 2004 года Совет Глобального фонда по борьбе с туберкулезом и малярией принял решение о предоставлении Фонду «Российское здравоохранение» финансирования на реализацию второй (заключительной) трехлетней фазы Программы "Развитие стратегии лечения населения Российской Федерации, уязвимого к ВИЧ/СПИД". Такое решение было принято по результатам оценки реализации Фондом первой фазы Программы, которая была признана успешной. Объем, финансирования, выделенный на реализацию второй фазы программы, равен 86,366,848 долларов США.
Фонд "Российское здравоохранение" является основным реципиентом в РФ по 4 раунду грантовой программы Глобального фонда. Грант предоставлен Глобальным фондом на реализацию пятилетней программы "Развитие стратегии лечения населения Российской Федерации, уязвимого к ВИЧ/СПИД", которая предусматривает поддержку всеобъемлющей программы лечения, нацеленной на обеспечение нужд уязвимых групп населения. Также средства направляются на совершенствование инфраструктуры и обучение.


15.08.07

August 15, 2007. The RIA Novosti International Information Agency hosted a press-conference to present information about the Russia national STOP AIDS car marathon to be launched in September 2007.

During the press-conference, D. Goliaev, Project Director from the Russian Health Care Foundation (the RHCF is a sponsor of the event), informed the audience about the steps made to prepare this campaign. Information letters were sent to the 15 participating cities to describe intended events. In all the participating regions, negotiations were held with their local authorities, vice-governors, ministers of health, committees for youth affairs, chief physicians of the AIDS centres and regional mass media; and resulted into reached agreements concerning logistic and technical support from the local administrations. A schedule was prepared and approved to arrange roundtables with all involved ministries and agencies in the cities to be visited by the car marathon to discuss issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention.

In particular, D. Goliaev noted that the RHCF’s support to the car marathon was primarily motivated with fact that such a campaign could catalyse the process of mobilizing government entities, medical doctors, teachers and people living with HIV/AIDS to fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Yu. Nepomnyashchikh, STOP AIDS Car Marathon Manager, producer of AIDS Ambulance TV Program, told the audience about the marathon preparation, including designing of a special style and logos of the marathon, models of information materials, and production of over 500,000 handouts (brochures, posters, bills, invitations, souvenirs for all those who would go through HIV testing under the car marathon); the Shaghi (Steps) Charity Foundation prepared a special HIV issue of its Shaghi Newspaper (20,000 copies); participants of free-of-charge performances for youth were selected, they include Vlad Topalov, Lera Masskva, Yulya Chicherina, Sveta, Konets Filma Group, Parallel Group, NeoMaster DJ’s. The performances will be hosted by Alexey Lysenkov. Audio and video spots were prepared and disseminated to regions to advertise events under the car marathon. There is a program of HIV prevention lectures and trainings for students of secondary vocational schools, senior grades of high schools, and universities, with a list of qualified lecturers approved. In addition, the campaign will include seminars for specialists and volunteers.

Alexey Lysenkov, a TV journalist and the host of performances to take place under the car marathon, said, in particular: “In search of stories for the AIDS Ambulance TV Programs which are broadcast through the TNT TV Channel, we visited almost all regions of Russia. We saw that in spite of all the efforts of local administrations and civil society organisations, people know very little about HIV and its transmission ways, and are not aware that it can indeed affect each of us. Therefore, the overall goal of the car marathon is to increase the visibility of this problem and make people to think”.

Then, press-conference participants answered numerous questions from journalists.

[Journalists] (231 kb)

07.08.07

The National Priority Health Project will arrange a car marathon under the motto ‘STOP AIDS’ which will run through 15 cities in the Russian Federation, during the period of September 1, 2007 – October 26, 2007.

The Russian Health Care Foundation was appointed to act as the general sponsor of this car marathon as per the decision on coordinating the projects financed by the Global Fund with the HIV and Hepatites B and C Prevention and HIV Detection and Treatment Component under the National Priority Health Project; the decision was adopted by the Government Panel for HIV Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment on January 17, 2007.

This campaign is meant to contribute to arresting the HIV/AIDS epidemic growth in Russia by joint efforts of government, non-governmental and commercial organisations under various prevention programs. It is expected to instigate the government and the business community, medical specialists and educators, people living with HIV/AIDS to get proactively involved into the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as to educate and motivate mass media to highlight HIV/AIDS problems in a more visible, informed and correct manner.

In each of the 15 cities to be visited by the marathon, a broad range of preventive information, public awareness and entrainment events will take place; these will include roundtables to be attended by representatives from all stakeholder ministries and agencies, meetings with young people, press-conferences, information campaigns in mass media, meetings with HIV-infected people, and a gala performance of those stars who will participate in the marathon.

Special efforts are to be made to inform and involve local mass media so that they could and would properly cover HIV/AIDS issues.

The Russian Health Care Foundation deems it appropriate to notify you of this forth coming campaign to better coordinate its further steps to arrange and hold it in each of the 15 cities, and to ensure that these issues be broadly highlighted in mass media, including those of the regional level.


26.07.07

The emergence of new antiretroviral drugs, genetic engineering and male circumcision are the latest and most promising HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment methods, as delegates attending the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Sydney, Australia, said on Tuesday.

Delegates attending the conference, which ended on Wednesday, presented studies and discussed advances in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

Robert Bailey, Professor at the University of Illinois, says studies in Uganda and Kenya -- along with other studies in the U.S., Zambia and Malawi -- have found that male circumcision reduces female-to-male transmission of HIV by 60%. According to Bailey, male circumcision could prevent two million new HIV cases and 300,000 AIDS-related deaths over 10 years.
"The challenge ahead for us is how to roll out circumcision safely ... and to persuade leaders in countries that it is going to help their populations," Bailey said. He added, "Circumcision is not just simply a medical procedure, it's tied up in a complex web of cultural and religious practices and beliefs, so it's not easy for politicians and ministries of health to very quickly come out in favor of circumcision in countries where it's not traditionally practiced." Women are likely to be the driving force behind male circumcision as an HIV prevention method because traditionally they are associated with ensuring hygiene in their communities. "Women, more than men, equate circumcision with improved hygiene," Bailey said.

Michel Kazatchkine -- Executive Director of the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria -- said, "I believe that the evidence is overwhelming for the efficacy of circumcision," adding, "And if countries come to us ... I see no reason at all why we wouldn't fund that".

Delegates at the Conference also discussed emerging antiretrovirals, including integrase inhibitors. Joseph Eron, Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, says that recent research showed that new classes of antiretrovirals could offer treatment to HIV-positive people who have become resistant to first-line drugs.

Another subject under discussion was genetic engineering methods of treatment. Human trials of a new technique of genetically modifying the blood stem cells and CD4+ T cells of people living with HIV and reintroducing the cells back into the body are about to begin. John Rossi, Head of Biological Sciences at the Beckman Research Institute, says this technique is a "permanent modification of the cells. As long as the cells persist in the patient, they will be resistant to further infection." He added, "We realize that this is not a treatment that will be applied universally," but the treatment should allow some HIV-positive people to reduce drug doses.

Last night, the 4th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2007) ended. It was attended by over 5,000 delegates from 133 countries and included 54 sessions, 5 plenary and 22 satellite meetings. Allowances to travel to Australia had been granted to 170 delegates, including 45 participants who made their presentations at the Conference. Seven young scientists were awarded for their research. The Conference offered 45 displays; its events were highlighted in mass media by 421 journalists. Over 1,550 persons singed the Sydney Declaration.

The next IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2009) will take place in Cape-Town (South Africa).


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