HIV TESTING AND THE LAW IN RUSSIA

From 1987 to 1993, the Russian Government has conducted 120,052,601 HIV tests on Russian citizens, and 441,332 tests on foreigners ("HIV-infection" Information Bulletin, No. 1, Russian AIDS Center, 1994), costing the Government millions of dollars annually. The majority of these tests were mandatory for officially identified "risk groups" in the population, and were performed mostly without their consent and often without their knowledge. These groups have included sex partners of HIV-positive individuals, drug users, homo- and bisexual men, people treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and their sex partners, men and women with multiple sex partners, people who have travelled abroad, blood donors and recipients, pregnant women, military personnel, and foreigners working or studying in Russia for over 3 months.
From 1 January 1987 to 29 April 1996, the total number of officially reported HIV and AIDS cases combined for all of Russia is 1150, of which 276 are children. These data are compiled by the state-run Russian AIDS Center. However, the actual number of cases is thought to be much higher, reflecting problems in reporting mechanisms, diagnostics, and the poor nature of relations between the medical establishment and the general population.
These artificially low statistics have allowed the government agencies in charge of controlling an AIDS epidemic in this country--the Russian AIDS Center, the Ministry of Health and the Sanitary-Epidemiological Surveillance-- to maintain their position, publicly and privately, that mass testing and surveillance have saved Russia from a real epidemic, and that certain "risk groups" are responsible for what HIV-infection there is in the country. It was these same agencies that authored the first drafts of the new Russian HIV/AIDS legislation, beginning in the spring of 1994, and that proposed HIV testing requirements for foreigners. The World Health Organization maintains that there is no public health rationale for such mandatory testing policies and they represent a violation of human rights as stated in international conventions.

The Russian Parliament on 24 February 1995 adopted legislation entitled "On the prevention of the spread in the Russian Federation of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-infection)", and President Yeltsin signed it into law 30 March 1995. The new law continued the Russian tradition of testing all foreigners coming to Russia for longer than 3 months, and took effect 1 August 1995. A few days before this deadline, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in its weekly public relations briefing that this particular provision would be postponed for a few months until a viable mechanism could be designed. This "mechanism" was already being referred to as a certificate showing the results of an HIV antibody test.
In fact, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been at odds with each other as to which one would have to design and introduce such a certificate. In the meantime, poorly informed civil servants in Russian Embassies and Consulates around the world were already trying to implement the new "HIV-free" requirements for people applying for Russian entry visas. Ultimately, the Government of the Russian Federation on 25 November 1995 issued official requirements for the type of information that should be contained in such a certificate, without actually producing the certificate itself. Unfortunately, this left too much discretion up to unidentified public servants, and the chaos and corruption that inevitably occurs in such situations has continued.
The most recent notice by the Russian Foreign Ministry to the diplomatic corps in Moscow regarding the HIV test requirements for Russian entry visas demonstrates the Government's resolve to implement this ineffective and discriminatory measure. Moreover, this measure directly contradicts the 1994 Paris Declaration, to which Russia is an official signatory, that guarantees people with HIV and AIDS equal access to work, education and travel. Russia violates this international agreement by banning foreign citizens who do not prove they are HIV-negative from its territory.
The situation with AIDS infected in Russia today leaves much to be desired. According to official figures, the number of HIV-infected people is over a million. However, it is obvious that these figures do not reflect reality very well. Many infected people are unaware that they are HIV-positive. In order to solve this problem, they began to actively engage in educating the population on this topic, as well as to take measures to simplify HIV testing. In this regard, medical laboratories have become widespread, which quickly and efficiently conduct appropriate tests. Opening a clinic or laboratory center will be relevant in any city. The easiest way to do this is to choose franchising. By purchasing a franchise, you can protect yourself from risks at the start and ease many of the nuances. You can get acquainted with the franchises in this segment on the website of the BEBOSS business portal.

ТЕСТИРОВАНИЕ НА ВИЧ И ЗАКОН В РОССИИ
Ситуация по зараженным СПИДом в России на сегодняшний день оставляет желать лучшего. Количество ВИЧ-инфицированных по официальным данным составляет более миллиона человек. Однако, очевидно, что эти цифры слабо отражают действительность. Многие зараженные не знают о том, что являются носителями положительного вич-статуса. С целью решения этой проблемы стали активно заниматься просвещением населения на эту тему, а также принимать меры по упрощению тестирований на ВИЧ. Широкое распространение в связи с этим получили медицинские лаборатории, которые быстро и качественно проводят соответствующие тесты. Открыть клинику или лабораторный центр будет актуально в любом городе. Проще всего для этого выбрать франчайзинг. Купив франшизу, можно обезопасить себя от рисков на старте и облегчить многие нюансы. Ознакомиться с франшизами в этом сегменте можно на сайте бизнес-портала
БИБОСС.