Praised Russian Prevention Program Faces Loss of Funds

摘要

On 21 april 2006, vladimir putin, thenrnpresident of the Russian Federation, unexpectedly called for increased spending and urgent new measures to combat HIV/AIDS. "We need more than words; we need action, and the whole of Russian society must get involved," Putin declared.rnPutin's critics long had accused him of turning a blind eye to the country's epidemic; a 2004 report from Human Rights Watch complained that "the Russian government has for too long been acting as though HIV/ AIDS is little worse than hemorrhoids." In particular, Putin and his underlings did not support harm-reduction efforts that aimed to . slow the spread of HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs), who account for most infections in the country. Nor did the government target prevention efforts to other vulnerable groups like sex workers and men who have sex with men. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) picked up the slack and launched their own projects, receiving substantial financing from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.