Russia faces 'explosive' Aids crisis

Cash-strapped: the Russian Government cannot fund nationwide health campaigns

The World Bank has said it is offering Russia a $150m loan to help fight rising levels of HIV infection among its young people.

United Nations figures show Russia has the world's fastest growing number of new carriers of HIV - the virus that leads to the immuno-deficiency disease Aids.

The Russian Federation is facing an explosive HIV situation

Peter Piot, UN Aids Executive Director

But because of its chronic economic problems, the country has little money for nationwide health campaigns to combat the spread of HIV.

News of the loan came as a UN conference on tackling Aids in Russia opened in Moscow.

The World Bank director for Russia, Michael Carter, said the loan was only part of a greater effort needed on many fronts to fight HIV.

"This is really the time for action, particularly because Aids is a serious problem among young people and so it's really a problem for Russia's future," Mr Carter told a news conference.

Bleak predictions

The bleakest predictions suggest as many as 1 million Russians could become carriers of HIV within two years, unless urgent action is taken.

Peter Piot, executive director of UN Aids, which is organising the Moscow conference, said the Russian Federation is facing an explosive HIV situation.

Conservative attitudes have hampered efforts to combat the disease

"At the end of last year 130,000 were infected with HIV. By the end of 2000, there will be 300,000, more than a doubling in just one year," Mr Piot said.

Russian doctors say that the real numbers of people with HIV are five or six times higher than government statistics show.

The biggest threat is from the growing number of intravenous drug users, who become infected by contaminated needles - accounting for more than four in five cases of HIV infection in Russia.

Lack of funds

However, the Russian Government has been unable to fund nationwide health campaigns in what is already one of the world's most unhealthy countries.

This is really the time for action, particularly because Aids is a serious problem among young people and so it's really a problem for Russia's future

Michael Carter, World Bank director for Russia

But the BBC Eurasian affairs analyst Steven Eke says Russia's authorities have been accused of acting too slowly in their response to the Aids crisis.

He says conservative social attitudes have also made it difficult to organise campaigns aimed at lessening the spread of HIV.

Aids has often been treated more as a criminal matter than a medical or social crisis.

Compulsory testing exists for workers in the state sector, and foreigners wanting to work or live in Russia have to prove they are not carrying HIV.