1.5 millions young people with HIVAIDS in Eastern Europe and central Asia

This is an original press bulletin.
1.5 millions young people with HIVAIDS in Eastern Europe and central Asia

Toronto/AmsterdamMoscow August 15th 2006 - XVI international AIDS conference -
experts and international organisations value that the number of young people with HIVAIDS in Eastern Europe and central Asia is not removed far at the present of 1.5 millions. The recent attention to HIV/AIDS of president Vladimir Poetin and other world leaders during G-8 in Russia is joyfull, but there is more necessary to turn a calamity away. According to the Dutch organisation AIDS foundation East-West (AFEW) (1), a company that gives advices on the prevention and treatement of HIV/AIDS in the region. AFEW plead for a urgent large on scale action to prevent that before the end of 2010, in this region 5-10 millions people live with HIVAIDS.

At this moment the aids-epidemic is developing in Russia which his equal does not know; nowhere in the world according to UNAIDS is the increase curve of the number of hiv-infections that rapidly rising such as in Russia and the neighbouring countries of the former Soviet Union. Russia stands on the eve of a social, economic but also especially humanitarian catastrophe. A catastrophe which however, because of the large number of problems which a country such as Russia has to contend, so far has not got the priority which it needs.

During recent G-8 president Poetin has explicitly pronounced his concerning about AIDS. He called HIV/AIDS a serious and acute problem and he has repeat his vow to put in 2006 an amount available that correspond to 105 million dollar, for the fight against HIV/AIDS (versus 4.5 millions in 2005,). This is gratifying news, but more is necessary. It has been confessed that for suitable help in 2006, there will be 330 million dollar necessary and in 2007, 400 million dollar.

In Toronto are for the first time in the 20 year of HIV/AIDS history many health workers from Eastern Europe and central Asia present. These professionals deserve also the unconditional support of Europe and the Netherlands. This in the interest of HIV/AIDS-fight and the socio-economic stability in the region and also in the importance of the Dutch and European public health.

AIDS foundation East-West (AFEW) is a Dutch NGO which implements 18 large-scale HIV/AIDS
programmes in nine former Soviet Union lands; Russia, Oekraïne,
Moldavië, Belarus, Kazakstan, Oezbekistan, Tadzjikistan, Kirgizië and
Mongolia

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