Newsletter April 2003

Index of Newsletters

HIV/AIDS: The Global Issue

James underlined the serious nature of the AIDS threat in the world today providing us with some staggering figures. The position was especially serious in Southern Africa where 29 millions had been identified as HIV+ and 3.5 millions had died in 2002. In Zimbabwe and Botswana the problem is made worse by poor nutrition and starvation.

Olga Almaeva, a doctor and who has been working as a volunteer with Freshwinds for the past five months in Samara, spoke of the rapid increase of AIDS over the last few years in Russia. An estimated 24 cases in 1987 had risen to a forecast of 5 millions by 2005. Drug injection seemed a greater source of infection than sex. Drugs are relatively cheap in Russia and Ukraine and young people were often turning to them out of boredom now that their leisure time was no longer subject to the high degree of organisation that had existed in the former Soviet Union.

Telmur Alexerov who had himself once used drugs spoke of the position in Estonia. The position in that country was complicated by the existence of two classes of citizenship with those not holding a full "blue" Estonian passport, finding it difficult or impossible to obtain necessary treatment.

After the presentation the panel answered questions from the audience on points raised by their interesting and instructive talk.