AIDS-PHOBIA

In social networks and in the local press, there have been reports about the threat of deliberate HIV infection at various shopping centres, malls, cinemas and parks in Baku. The reports whose source is unknown speak about some AIDS terrorists - HIV-infected persons who selfishly try to infect healthy people. To do this, they leave syringes with HIV-infected blood on benches, chairs in cinemas and public transport, smear payphone receivers with blood, etc.

How did it happen?

First information about HIV terrorists appeared in the mid-1990s in Ukraine, Belarus, several Western European countries and India. In 2006, "HIV carriers angry with society" became a talking point in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow, Saransk and Yekaterinburg. In Almaty, people were afraid to go to the theatres and clubs because of the imaginary threat. In 2006, hysteria around AIDS terror broke out in Almaty - a group of young people with syringes caused panic among people in parks and gardens. In 2009, the law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan received complaints that a middle-aged man was leaving syringes in playgrounds and on bus seats.

The law enforcement agencies of Russia and other countries conducted an investigation and concluded that all information on AIDS terrorists was false. Public health facilities also reassured the population: there have been no cases when someone was pricked with a syringe and then became ill with HIV.

Deja vu...

Incidentally, in the Soviet period there were rumours about "chewing gum infected with syphilis", "lice in the fur of imported sheepskin coats", etc. Later it turned out that these rumours were being spread by the Soviet law enforcement agencies in the fight against black marketeers. In Baku, this kind of "bacteriological" crime took place in the early 1930s. Near the Komurcu Bazaar, there was a group of homeless children under the leadership of an impertinent teenager named Qaras. They tracked down wealthy citizens at the market and asked them to give them some money, otherwise a handful of lice would be thrown at them. The calculation was based on the fear of typhus, which is transmitted by lice. Several times a handful of lice were really thrown at victims. Usually the fear of getting a handful of parasites in the face worked, and people preferred to pay the extortionists off. In the end, the problem was resolved with a raid by an NKVD brigade.

The syringe is not so terrible...

In an interview with R+, the head of the AIDS centre at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health, Esmira Almammadova, reported that in the last few days there have been no reports about syringes left in public places. Several years ago there was a report that while playing in the courtyard, a child pricked himself with a syringe thrown out by some irresponsible people. Since it was not known who had used the syringe and it was possible that it could have been used by a drug addict, it was decided to give the child post-exposure treatment with antiretroviral drugs.

The risk of getting infected from a syringe is negligible and stands at 0.3 %. The human immunodeficiency virus is not resilient and dies quickly under the influence of environmental factors. Under direct sunlight, in dry and wet environment, the virus dies within an hour. Artificial ultraviolet radiation is also detrimental to HIV.

There was one case when a healthy person was injured with a risk of infection. Several years ago, during the arrest of an HIV-infected drug dealer, he cut police officers with a blade he had hidden in his mouth. The police officers had antiretroviral therapy and after a 6-month survey, the infection was not confirmed.

After any report about the risk of infection through blood or sex, in accordance with WHO recommendations, the centre conducts brief post-exposure treatment with antiretroviral drugs, which minimizes the risk of infection.

Esmira Almammadova believes that rumours about AIDS terrorism are false and have no basis. "The AIDS centre, as the main institution for HIV prevention, has received no complaints in this regard. This is speculation that can cause panic and discrimination against infected people," she said.

The first human immunodeficiency virus was discovered in Azerbaijan in 1987. From that time to 1 December 2013, the republican AIDS centre officially registered 4,234 people. Of them, 4,090 are citizens of Azerbaijan and 144 - foreigners. 58 % of infected Azerbaijani citizens were infected by injecting drugs.