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Over 360 HIV/AIDS patients have died in Belarus since 1987, expert says

As many as 362 HIV/AIDS patients have died in Belarus since 1987 but roughly one in three deaths is not connected with the deadly disease, Mikhail Rymzha, Belarus' chief sanitary officer, said at a session of the National Sanitary and Epidemiological Council in Minsk on March 2, told BelaPAN.

Thirty-three percent of the patients died of AIDS and another third succumbed to HIV-related infections, mainly tuberculosis. However, more than 30 percent died of unrelated causes, including suicides, injuries and drug overdose.

As many as 7,747 people live with HIV in Belarus at present. HIV-infected women have given birth to 935 children, with 96 diagnosed as HIV positive. Seven of the children have already died.

Mr. Rymzha recalled that Belarus had received aid from Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to provide better treatment to HIV/AIDS patients and step up efforts to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

In the framework of the project, the health authorities bought $1.17 million worth of equipment for clinics and spent $1.84 million on anti-retroviral drugs for people living with HIV.

More than 680 HIV patients currently receive treatment in Belarus, the expert said.