Динамика развития эпидемического процесса ВИЧ-инфекции на юге России

Abstract

The objective of this study is to describe the distinguishing feature of HIV spread within the southern regions of Russia. Materials and methods. Analysis of regional HIV surveillance data covering the period 2005–2021 in the South of Russia collected from the Federal Statistical Reports and additional requests with the appropriate regional authorities. Results. In 2021 in the South of Russia, there was a decrease in the incidence of HIV infection compared to 2019, which is associated with increased anti-epidemic work in recent years. The positive dynamics of HIV testing coverage in the Southern Federal District and the North Caucasus Federal District since 2005 has been traced, to 2021 reaching a level of 26.8 tests per 100 people. In the southern regions, there was a territorial unevenness of the HIV infection rate, which was 3 times lower than the national average. In recent years, the trend has been towards increasing a proportion of HIV patients in 30–49 age cohort. We observe a high coverage of HIV patients with clinical monitoring and ART. The analysis of HIV-associated mortality over the years reveals its decrease during 2019–2020 with a further increase in 2021 to 3.3 per 100,000 population, which is explained by the overall increase in mortality in Russia, associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions. The deceleration of the growth of HIV rates along with the increase in the coverage of ART in HIV patients, observed in the south of Russia, may indicate the positive impact of counter epidemic activities, carried out during 2016–2021. Key words: antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection, HIV monitoring, HIV testing, HIV epidemic COVID-19