Rospotrebnadzor reported a decrease in the incidence of HIV infection in Russia

The incidence of HIV infection in Russia last year was 31.5% lower than the annual average. This was stated by the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor). Anna Popova reported on Tuesday, June 3.

"The incidence (of HIV infection. — Ed.) is decreasing, over the past year, compared with 2023, it has decreased by almost 10%. The incidence rate last year was 31.5% lower than the annual average," the Moscow City News Agency quoted the head of the department as saying.

Popova added that more than 52 million Russians were tested for HIV last year.

Lymphocyte attention: immune aging base will help create HIV drugs

For what scientists have collected a dataset on the "soldiers" of the body's defense system

With HIV infection, Russian citizens have the right to receive free medicines. Earlier in the day, State Duma deputy and member of the State Duma Committee on Small and medium-sized Enterprises Alexei Govyrin reminded RT who else they are supposed to be.

"In 2025, the right to receive free medicines in Russia is based on current regulations, including federal laws and government regulations," the deputy said.

He clarified that the basis is a government decree, which is accompanied by a list of categories of citizens and diseases in which medicines are provided without payment.

"In particular, people with disabilities of groups I, II and III, children under three years of age, as well as children under six years of age from large families have the right to free medicines. Participants and invalids of military operations, rehabilitated persons, citizens who suffered from political repression are also included in the list," said Govyrin.

In addition, medicines are provided free of charge for the treatment of diabetes, tuberculosis, cancer, epilepsy, hemophilia and a number of other diseases.

On May 22, Rafael Yapparov, the chief freelance HIV specialist at the regional Ministry of Health, said 360.ru that residents of the Moscow region began to be tested for the immunodeficiency virus more often. Last year, more than 2.8 million people in the region were tested for HIV. Since the beginning of this year, over 970,000 more residents have checked their health.

On May 18, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of AIDS at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor Vadim Pokrovsky said that special injections of lenacapavir can prevent infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

He noted that this drug became famous not as a treatment for HIV patients, but as a means to prevent infection in those who have not yet been infected with HIV.