Georgia breaks rights of HIV-infected persons, human rights activists assert

Today, the capital of Georgia will host a conference "HIV/AIDS-Related Stigma and Mental Health". Its organizers assert that the rights of AIDS patients are violently broken in the country.

We remind you that in Georgia, like in Western Europe, HIV is transferred mainly among intravenous drug users. According to the Scientific-Practical Centre of Infectious Pathology, AIDS and Clinical Immunology, they make 62 percent of all AIDS-infected persons. 34 percent of all the patients were infected in sexual contacts, 1.5 percent - in the vertical way, from mother to child, and 0.9 percent - at transfusion of infected blood.

According to the organizers of today's conference, AIDS-infected persons are negated by the society, refused of medical aid, dismissed from work; they are often exiled from families and villages. The conference will consider ways of overcoming these problems.

The event will be attended by Sandra Rulofs, the first lady of Georgia, the vice-speaker of the Parliament Gigi Tsereteli, chairman of the parliamentary committee for public health Otar Toidze, representative of the European Commission in Georgia Per Eklund, ambassador of Holland and representatives of the World Health Organization, the Internet edition "New Region" reports.

The "Trend" Agency reports that this June Sandra Rulofs presented a report on fighting AIDS and tuberculosis in Georgia at the international conference in New York.

We remind you that in 2006 Georgia officially registered 1133 HIV-infected persons.