HIV, AIDS cases continue to rise in Russia : Government watchdog

Moscow, May 15 (UNI) Russian government's medical watchdog Rospotrebnadzor today said there were more than 380,000 registered HIV carriers in the country.

The rate of HIV and AIDS in Russia continued to rise, with increasing number of people dying from AIDS, it said.

''In 2006, 38,839 new cases of HIV were registered. In the first four months of 2007, 15,122 cases were registered, which is seven per cent more than the number for the same period last year,'' Interfax news agency reported quoting Rospotrebnadzor.

Intravenous drug use remained the principal source of HIV infection and the younger part of this category of drug addicts was showing the most rapid HIV growth rate, Rospotrebnadzor said.

The number of people diagnosed with fully-blown AIDS in 2006 was 54 per cent higher than that the year before, it added.

UNI