The newest epidemic: a review of HIV/AIDS in Central and Eastern Europe. Int J STD AIDS 2003 Jun;14(6):361-71
Date
06/21/2003Pubmed ID
12816662DOI
10.1258/095646203765371231Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0038388200 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 100 CitationsAbstract
HIV/AIDS has emerged as a grave public health threat in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Central Asian republics over the past five years. Massive political, social, cultural, and behavioural changes - along with economic upheaval and collapse of the public health infrastructure in many countries - have created circumstances conducive to the rapid spread of HIV. This paper reviews HIV and sexually transmitted disease (STD) data for all countries in the region, as well as behavioural, social, cultural, and other HIV epidemic enabling factors. The epidemiological picture of HIV in the region is mixed. Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus already have advanced epidemics. Some other countries in the region share similar enabling factors and have seen a very high proportion of their total number of HIV infections detected in only the past 18 months, indicating the emergence of recent epidemics. Several countries are more stable in their HIV incidence. Behavioural studies indicate that risky sexual and injection related practices are common in many vulnerable populations. HIV prevention steps, if taken quickly enough and on a large scale, can limit the scope of the HIV epidemic that is now unfolding in Central and Eastern Europe. This will require new models of government/non-governmental organization cooperation, policy approaches for addressing structural factors underlying the epidemic, and attention to human rights protection.
Author List
Kelly JA, Amirkhanian YAAuthors
Yuri A. Amirkhanian PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinJeffrey A. Kelly PhD Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Communicable Disease ControlEurope, Eastern
Female
Global Health
HIV Infections
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Homosexuality, Male
Humans
Incidence
Male
Needs Assessment
Population Surveillance
Prevalence
Primary Prevention
Risk Factors
Risk-Taking
Sex Work
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Social Change
Substance Abuse, Intravenous