"Now there've appeared new preparations that act not only at the stage of virus reproduction but affect the virus itself when it is still beyond the cell, that is, in the intracellular space," continued the expert. "This is very important. If this trend intensively develops, we will be able to see considerable positive shifts in the HIV prevention. The virus will be able to be blocked then prior to its getting into the cell."
In Goliusov's opinion, the forum opened for Russian doctors "new approaches, new technologies, new data" that exist in the world. "Despite financial problems, Russia still has the potential to introduce high technologies into practical healthcare - through the federal program to fight AIDS and through international grants given to Russia for disease prevention," the expert emphasized.
The Moscow Institute of Immunology recently said it has an anti-HIV vaccine. Now volunteers are recruited, who would agree to check the action of the new preparation on themselves. At a recent conference of the UNAIDS Coordination Council in Geneva, its Executive Director Peter Piot said there is no vaccine against AIDS, and no serious "candidates" for it. They will hardly appear in the five years to come, he claims. Today fundamental scientific developments that could lead to creation of at least "candidates" for the vaccine are necessary. All created vaccines turned out inefficient, and these are not my words, these are the words of Peter Piot, says Goliusov.
According to the expert, mass media spread the opinion that the HIV is a problem of the marginal layers of the population. Meanwhile, the infection is already beyond high-risk groups - consumers of intravenous drugs, commercial sex workers and so on - and started passing onto wider layers of the population, states Goliusov. The disease is spread among drug addicts, and later - through heterosexual contacts. We are facing the same situation as Europe and the U.S. In 3-4 years, the virus will be transmitted through sexual intercourse in 50% of the cases (now this figure is 12%).
The expert emphasizes: "Today it's very important to work with intravenous drug addicts. Then the rates of epidemic spread will slow down. Meanwhile, harm reduction programs envisaging exchange of syringes is the only efficient technology of doctors' work with drug addicts."
In this sphere, other countries have what to learn from Russia, believes Goliusov. "For example, the Pskov region [Russia's northwest]. 80% of intravenous drug addicts are covered with harm reduction programs. So very few of them contract HIV," says the expert. Such programs are active in some other Russian regions as well.
Russian business circles need to be interested in countering the expansion of the HIV, Goliusov believes. In many countries, the business community pays attention to prevention and treatment of the HIV, he said.
