Wednesday, 1 December
In the Murmansk Region the realization of Russian-American pilot project "The program of on-the-job education in HIV\AIDS issues in Russia." has started.The project authors are the Ministry of Labor of the USA and the Bureau of the International Labor Organization together with the Ministry of Health and social development of the Russian Federation, the director of the sub-regional bureau of the International Labor Organization Pauline Barrette-Rid explained at the conference devoted to the beginning of the project realization in Murmansk.
"The aims of the project are to contribute to the preventive treatment of HIV\AIDS in labor sphere, to strengthen the protection of the working places and to reduce the negative impact of this epidemic on the social, labor and economic development of the society," Barrette-Rid noticed.
According to the author of the project, its ultimate goals are also the prevention of the discrimination of HIV positives. As public opinion polls show about 30% of population in Russia support the idea to isolate HIV positive people from the society.
1314 HIV positives are living in the Murmansk Region at the moment. "All these people are of able-bodied age and more than half of them continues to work at their working places," Sergy Ruban, the chief doctor of the Regional Center of Prophylaxis and Treatment of AIDS said.
The pilot project is planned for 3 years and soon its realization will also start in Moscow Region. The Ministry of Labor of the USA is financing the project, it allocated about 1 million dollars. According to the official information about 300 thousand HIV positives live in the Russian Federation nowadays. "The increasing size of the epidemic even now has an impact on the economical situation, that’s why the realization of the project is very important for Russia," – Barrette-Rid noticed.
On the 27th of November about 20 extreme cyclists from Murmansk took part in the first winter cycling races organized by the chairman of the public organization "Polar – Extreme" Alexander Smirnov who represented "Trial-Sport" shop. The circuit ran through the gully near Knipovicha Street. Narrow paths were made in the snow, and the part of the route was on the pavement of Polarny Zory Street. Its length comprised 750 meters. All the participants were divided into the groups according to the age criteria – those who are younger than 20 years old, and those who are older. Eugene Prostakov from Murmansk has become the winner in the senior age group.
