Russia issues AIDS warning

HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming pace in Russia, but the government lacks the political will to combat the epidemic that may claim tens of thousands of lives in the next few years, leading AIDS experts warned yesterday.

“Russia remains among countries with the highest rates of the spread of the Aids epidemic,” said Natalia Ludnaya, a researcher at the Russian Federal Aids Centre.

Russia has officially registered more than 300,000 HIV-positive people, but experts estimate the real number is closer to 500,000.