Russia urged to hold Miss HIV
2005-11-28 23:22
Special Report
President Jacob Zuma has met with American businessman Bill Gates to discuss issues relating to the country's HIV/Aids pandemic.
Moscow - Russia should organise a beauty contest for women with HIV, the Aids virus, to show they still were women like any others, a senior Russian health official said on Monday.
Gennady Onishchenko, head of health services, said at a news conference: "It might seem a ridiculous idea and some might attack it as a bad joke, but why should we not have a contest for HIV-positive women?
"With this minor initiative, we aim to change the attitude of public opinion," argued Onishchenko, who is also in charge of consumer rights.
"Why should these HIV-positive people not live like everyone else? They can and should do so, in any society whatsoever, just like people with hepatitis B and other illnesses."
Onishchenko told the news conference that about 100 people were infected with HIV every day in Russia.
Latest official figures showed that 335 790 people tested positive for HIV between 1987 and November 15 this year, among them 1 700 children under 14.
More than 70% of cases were attributable to intravenous drug use.
In 2001, the HIV-positive rate was 121 per 100 000, while by the end of this year it will have doubled almost to 231 per 100 000.
- AFP