Russian propaganda is doing everything it can to sow panic among Ukrainians and undermine public trust in reforms. For instance, this time, fake news spreaders are scaring people with claims that the implementation of Western-style healthcare reform in Ukraine has led to an increase in the number of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
With the support of the USAID Health Reform Support project, VoxCheck analyzes and refutes public health narratives spread in the information space of Ukraine, Belarus, and russia on a weekly basis.
Russian Telegram channels are spreading news alleging that over the past six months, Ukraine has registered more than 5,000 new cases of HIV, with 20–30% attributed to teenagers. Allegedly, about a thousand new infections are detected each month on average. Propagandists claim that this situation in Ukraine is a consequence of healthcare system reform based on Western models.
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What’s the reality?
For the first time, information about 5,000 HIV cases appeared in late November 2024. Iryna Voloshyna, a professor at the Bohomolets Family Medicine Training Center, mentioned this in a comment for Novyny.LIVE.
HIV statistics can be viewed on the Public Health Center’s website. From January to June 2024, 5.5 thousand new HIV cases were recorded. Data for the first 11 months of the year is already available. From January to November 2024, there were 9.2 thousand cases. Meanwhile, during the same period in 2023, 10.7 thousand cases were registered, and in 2022, 11.1 thousand.
As of writing, there were no relative incidence rates (number of new HIV cases per 100,000 population) available for the first 11 months of 2024, making it impossible to fully compare data with previous years. Earlier, the Public Health Center reported that the incidence rate per 100,000 population for the first nine months of 2024 was 11% lower than for the same period in 2023.
Source: Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine
According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, a total of 137,000 people in the country are under medical supervision due to HIV. The actual number of infected individuals may be higher, as not everyone is under supervision, particularly residents of occupied territories.
Propagandists blame the spread of HIV on healthcare reform, but this is untrue. First, during wartime, the risk of infection increases, particularly due to the rise in injuries, wounds, and blood contact. Second, the state medical system provides support for HIV diagnosis and treatment.
The Medical Guarantees Program includes a dedicated package for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of people with HIV. The state covers HIV testing, examinations, consultations in case of a positive diagnosis, and antiretroviral therapy (ART). As of late 2024, over 118,000 Ukrainians were receiving ART. Infected individuals who take medications have a low viral load and cannot transmit the virus sexually.
HIV tests are free for patients and can be performed at medical facilities or non-governmental organizations. Testing locations are listed at this link.
This information piece was produced with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provided on behalf of the people of the United States of America. This article’s content, which does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, the United States Government, is the sole responsibility of Deloitte Consulting under contract #72012118C00001.
Photo: depositphotos.com/ua
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