"Kiyevskiye Vedomosti" newspaper, September 28, 1995.

[Translated by A.Prishchenko, September 28, 1995]

Why did we hope we won't drain this cup of woe? Specialists have warned us about this danger, and the present level of our medicine and prophylaxis is well-known. So, Ukrainian health center informs: the deadly virus has got into the world of drug addicts, those, who inject drugs -- this is the most quick way of infection spread. This took place, we guess, somewhere at the end of last year. The result: increasing of number of infected during last 7 months was 1.5 times greater than increasing of these during last 8 years.

Since the beginning of the year, 79 people were HIV-infected. 150 more (all of them are drug addicts) show positive reaction in preliminary tests. Their final diagnoses will be recorded later, after careful tests in a hospital. 43 people were AIDS-ill, 20 of them died (5 children among them). Three regions -- Rivne, Volyn' and Khmel'nitskiy -- are still free of AIDS. The most affected regions are Nikolayev, Odessa and Donetsk. And also Crimea and Kyjiv (the capital).

Obviously, HIV infection will spread further. We have all good conditions for that. About 40 drug addicts are registered in Ukraine, 85 per cent of whom inject drugs. This number increases by 8-10 thousands annually.

In the West, they try to minimize the risk of HIV-infection of drug addicts who inject drugs: providing free of cheap syringes, exchanging dirty syringes for sterile ones, promoting an information system about the deadly disease. We have none of these. God, help us?