Foil cap

The Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova said that Dmitry Medvedev wants to give money to fight the HIV epidemic. More precisely, the Prime Minister "will hold a government commission on the issue of additional financial support."

On the one hand, it's cool. I have been writing about HIV for a very long time and I see that every year this topic in Russia is silent more and more. And to look at it is just scary: on the one hand, you read the news that in "such and such a region, the growth of new cases amounted to 60%", and on the other hand, officials assure that everything is fine and under control. And more and more often “not on the recorder” they say: “HIV is removed from the agenda,” “AIDS is no longer relevant.”

There is no more such problem.

The words of Skvortsova became the more unexpected: "We raised the question of the need to support financially such an important problem as HIV-infected citizens and AIDS, due to the fact that we have increased the prevalence of AIDS over the past year, and it has increased predictably."

Predictable! Four years ago, doctors and representatives of NPOs began to say that the HIV epidemic is declining around the world, and in Russia 90 people are infected, so let's do something.

The next year, they became more alarming: they argued that the epidemic is declining in the world, and 170 people are now infected in Russia. Last year, the whole world went its own way, and in Russia 190 people a day in shock and tears found out that they had HIV.

And now, when 300 men, women and children are infected with a day (!), Somewhere something has moved. It was decided to hold a government commission, and even under the leadership of Medvedev, to "see which resources can be additionally involved in this topic."

And here you need to look at this news from the other side. What can money go for?

Two months ago, the head of the Federal Center for AIDS Vadim Pokrovsky at one of the press conferences said that more than 740 thousand infected are registered in Russia, but if the pace is persisted, then by the end of the year we can easily reach a million.

One ardent city deputy S. immediately automatically called Pokrovsky as a typical agent against the interests of our state. In an interview with Kommersant, she said : "These fables about the HIV infection in the Russian Federation cannot be called reliable, it can be held accountable for the distribution of false data in the media."

Unfortunately for the deputy, all numbers were confirmed in Rospotrebnadzor. So she no longer talks about prosecution. And it's time to talk about responsibility for those who brought the situation to such a disaster. Because we have 300 people per day. And, for example, in Germany - 8.

But at one time the situation, for example, with drug addiction, the Germans were cooler than ours. In the early 90s in Berlin right in the city center, in the park, several hundred people were injected and lay on the grass. The ambulance went to the calls for overdose up to 60 times a day. And the HIV epidemic developed quite successfully.

Today, the population of Germany is 80 million people against our 146. approximately half. But they have 70 thousands of people with HIV. We have almost 700 thousand. The difference is 10 times. A couple of years ago I already compared these two countries. So, even then, when using drugs, 8856 people were infected with us. And in Germany - 360.

We could, too. The point is not that there is no money in Russia, the crisis and the immoral population, which you will not attack. We just do nothing to fight HIV, except that "allocate funds."

And here any Russian will grin knowingly ...

In Germany, as in any normal country, there is a "strategy of the federal government to combat HIV/AIDS." There is a plan for its implementation, which contains all sorts of interesting technologies: the exchange of syringes, and the rooms of safe use of drugs, and replacement therapy. And all this is said, "it is necessary measures and greatly helps to reduce HIV transmission." And in the column "Prevention" it is directly written: "The use of condoms remains the key."

And now the Germans braked their epidemic.

In Russia, there is not the slightest idea of what and when to do. Strategies, of course, no either. The impression is that officials do not understand what the words "the epidemic entered the heterosexual environment" mean. " Now in Russia 2.5% of men aged 30–35 years and 1.2% of women of the same age are infected. There are territories in which 1% of the population lives with HIV. That is, every hundredth of a resident.

And now, having before my eyes, the example of the same Germany and other European countries, Vadim Pokrovsky said that the authorities should immediately take emergency measures. Among other things, to adopt modern methods of prevention: to introduce sexual education lessons in schools, replacement therapy and the “reduction of harm” programs for the fight against HIV among drug users.

Well, you must admit that it was logical, since it worked in Germany.

Because now in Russia, HIV prevention looks ... nothing.

Not a penny has been standing out for a job among drug users and sex workers for five years now. And this is logical, because doctors of AIDS centers do not know how to engage in such propaganda, but they cannot give money to the Ministry of Health, well, because because. A very different view of prevention among officials and NGOs.

But millions of 200 years every year stand out for prevention among the total population: on videos, booklets, webinars and posters. And, of course, on the preparation of a media plan and a “road map” in order to cover all-all-all.

I live in Moscow, and last year I was covered twice. That is, I saw a billboard twice, in the corner of which there were crumpled letters, which made up the mysterious abbreviation of the bend. And in the middle there was a disk phone and a slogan like "your security phone number." I all gave birth to unclear fears that the KGB has something to do with my personal life. And no more.

And I also remember how in December 2011 the Ministry of Health with a large pomp represented the super-Spotsyite devoted to the prevention of HIV/AIDS: "The first state Internet portal in Russia was opened on the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS O-Spide.ru. The portal was created by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation." It was advertised as “our answer of the epidemic”: there, they say, there will be a discussion platform, and a reference book on all issues. Now it is a monument to the development of money.

Firstly, all materials on the site date back to 2011-2012. That is, financing ended - both prevention and discussion ended. Secondly, these are the same scrapers, only yellow. For example, on the search for a “condom”, the site readily issues an article “a condom does not guarantee 100% protection against HIV! Expert opinion”.

It is too early to rejoice that "Medvedev and Skvortsov understood everything" and now the budget will be allocated for really working methods for combating HIV and AIDS

The Russians are not idiots. Someone “Watch for Truth” on the forum asks: “We discussed this article with friends. Yes, if you leave the cutlets for a couple of days on the stove, you can be poisoned, but this does not mean that you need to stop eating cutlets. We must teach people that it is important to put the cutlets in the refrigerator. Yes, it’s dangerous to drive by car, you can die. But this does not mean that you need to overcome multi -kilometer routes. We must teach. The Rules of Security.

They did not answer him, because - see above - financing ended.

Of course, there is nothing on the site about replacement therapy, a decrease in harm, the exchange of syringes, the experience of other countries. But there is one material there, which (although he is stupid) will bring you a couple of minutes of quiet joy.

This material is placed under the "HIV prevention" button and hangs the first material in the first section "It is important for everyone." That is, the basis of the basics of HIV prevention. It is called ... "Save the skin - preserve health."

The text begins with epic: “Everyone knows that skin cleansing is the most important condition that guarantees its beauty and health. It is water procedures that occupy the dominant position when leaving the skin. However, it should be borne in mind that if the water is incorrectly used, it can be harmful, and not get the desired result ...”

I don’t know if the author re -read the last phrase. Perhaps this is a translation of the Chinese laundry from soap. But the idea of "do not harm myself, I liked it.

We read further: "For the body as a whole, water procedures, hardening are very useful. There are also a special hydropathic department, which, by regulating temperature and water pressure, is provided by therapeutic hydromassage procedures ..."

Then I looked once again what was the heading: yes, everything is right, "HIV prevention."

The article ends like this: "Do not forget about the hair and bathing in the sea, river or pool should be protected by a hat."

I remind you that this site was paid from the state budget in the framework of the fight against HIV among the population, and even after the tender.

So it’s too early to rejoice that “Medvedev and Skvortsov understood everything” and now the budget will be allocated for really working methods. Additional funds may well go to foil caps - an excellent means of preventing and from overdrying hair, and from HIV, and from radiation of reptiloids.

Anastasia Kuzina is a participant in the Andrei Shkov Foundation