VOA常速英语:批评者称俄罗斯停止清洁针具交换项目旨在遏制艾滋病

Thirty-eight year-old Haidar, who only wants to use his first name, began using heroin as a teenager.

He saw using injection drugs as part of a criminal lifestyle that cost him 13 years in prison and his health.

“I learned about having HIV this year.I have TB-HIV.That is, I have both tuberculosis and HIV.”

While the rate of HIV infections in Europe is shrinking,the number of Russians infected with HIV is growing annually by 10 percent, and recently passed 1 million.

Most acquired the virus like Haidar by sharing infected needles or paraphernalia.

“There are a few people who I know well, who are infected.Not so many, but there are a few.They still continue to use drugs no matter what.They take medications, but continue to use heroin.”

Haidar says he would have used a clean needle exchange program if it was available;But, Russia pulled support from such programs years ago and made opiate substitution therapy illegal,despite its record of reducing HIV transmission.

Authorities argue the programs encourage drug addiction.

Rehabilitation for injection drug addicts can work, at least for those who avoid HIV and get help before it is too late.

“Out of the guys I used drugs with together, I can state that there were seven of us,and just two currently remain and they have HIV.All the rest died.”

Critics say Russia is focused too much on moral arguments for abstinence instead of education.

“This is a weak, non-effective policy.One requires a direct service, a live contact with humans.One requires trainings, to bring in all that to school and to those layers of the population who are most at risk.”

But Russian authorities are reluctant to address the HIV problem at the street level.

In June, they labeled the only Moscow group handing out clean needles and advice to addicts a “foreign agent”,meaning its activities were deemed political.

Daniel Schearf, VOA news, Moscow.