TI   "Russia's Dirty Little Secret"
 AU   Lewis, J. Patrick
 SO   Business and Society Review (Fall 1993) No. 87, P. 21
 AB   First detected with the death of a Leningrad prostitute seven   years
      ago, AIDS is Russia's "dirty little secret."  Known in Russian as
      SPID, the country initially blamed the disease on foreigners or a
      plot by the CIA.  Official statistics dictate that only 73 people
      have died from AIDS in Russia, and only 750 more are infected with
      the AIDS virus.  But the truth, according to one American health
      official working in Moscow, is that these official figures grossly
      underestimate the problem.  Many children have been exposed to HIV
      through blood transfusions and unsanitary needles, yet there has been
      no public outcry or sympathy.  Instead, people with AIDS are treated
      no better than lepers; some have even had their homes set afire.  And
      although Boris Yeltsin lifted the ban on homosexuality a year ago,
      staying in the closet still seems the safest thing for gays in this
      sexually repressive society.  Not surprisingly, little has been done
      to educate people about AIDS transmission and prevention. Imported
      condoms are more widely available, but the expensive price places
      them out of the reach of most.  Soviet-made condoms, while cheap, are
      highly unreliable.

      Copyright (c) 1993 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD.  This
      information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control &
      Prevention (CDC), National AIDS Clearinghouse as a public service. 
      Non-profit reproduction is encouraged.

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