ArmenPress
May 4 2004

SEVEN NEW CASES OF HIV CONFIRMED

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS: Seven new HIV cases were reported over
the last month in Armenia, according to the health ministry, bringing
the total number of officially registered people with confirmed
AIDS/HIV to 269. The majority-255 people-are Armenian citizens. Six
of the new cases were confirmed with Armenian citizens, and the one
with a foreigner who came to be examined and receive treatment by
Armenicum, a medicine developed by Armenian scientists, which they
say, improves drastically the condition of AIDS-infected people.
According to health ministry officials, the majority of cases
reported in last years contracted it through narcotics injections.
More than 80 percent are between 20-39 and AIDS was confirmed with
half of all infected people.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved
last year a five year grant for the Republic of Armenia that will
support the National Program on HIV/AIDS and can have a significant
impact on the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Armenia and on the quality of
life of those infected, or affected by the virus.
Although Armenia is a low prevalence country, the extremely high
growth rate of HIV infection makes the HIV/AIDS epidemic a real
danger for the country with a population of 3.2 million. A number of
factors such as the economic crisis, increased poverty, unemployment
and massive increase in individual high-risk behaviors have
contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS.