‘Hedonistic Night Clubs’ Breeding Ground for Russian AIDS Epidemic, Montreal Gazette Reports
"Hedonistic night clubs" in Russia "are the next breeding ground in a growing AIDS epidemic sweeping across" the country, the Montreal Gazette reports. Although HIV cases are currently "mostly confined" to injection drug users and the country's small gay community, the virus is moving into the heterosexual population, as youth "have embraced sex as a symbol of their freedom" following the fall of communism. "People do not understand that HIV and AIDS are a real danger. ... [I]f nothing changes, Russia will be facing the same scenario as Africa," Vadim Pokrovsky, director of the Moscow-based Center for AIDS Prevention and Treatment, said (Mainville, Montreal Gazette, 11/24). The complete article is available online.
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