Ukraine's AIDS epidemic made a brief return to the headlines last week thanks to Elton John's glorious gig, but even as the final notes drifted off on the summer breeze it quickly and quietly returned to the shadows, where it will no doubt remain until the next big international effort to raise awareness. This has been the case for the best part of a decade, and although the general population now seems to be aware that the country is suffering from Europe's worst AIDS outbreak, there remains an overwhelming sense that it is somebody else's problem.
For years I've been writing about the enormous threat posed by AIDS in Ukraine, and to be frank media coverage has improved but popular opinions remain firmly entrenched in the “only for gays and addicts” mindset. Part of the problem here is that a lack of reliable statistics allows such misnomers to persist.
The truth of the matter is that nobody really knows quite how badly Ukraine is affected by AIDS, but there is every reason to believe that the situation is far worse than anyone has yet been brave enough to suggest. In a society where being tested for HIV/AIDS is in itself generally regarded as an admission that you are in some way unclean we have no way of knowing just how many people are infected and can only assume that the real numbers are far higher than the already alarming official figures.
This is exactly why the top AIDS priority for the authorities should now be a massive push to promote testing among ordinary Ukrainians, people who as it stands would no doubt be horrified at the very suggestion. Such taboos have to be broken down if the country is to take a grip on the problem.
The media can play a big role in making this happen. Getting celebrities to pose with condoms may well make AIDS awareness seem a trendy thing to get involved in, but until we have an idea of just how bad the situation is in Ukraine the fight against the spread of the virus will continue to be restricted and largely ignored.
Given the very real everyday troubles that the vast majority of Ukrainians continue to face, there is little sense of urgency surrounding something that may prove fatal ten years down the line and our ability to beat the virus through medicine such that few in Ukraine can see any hope for those infected with HIV/AIDS, thus further stigmatising the testing process.
I have often heard people say “If I've got it I'll die anyway. What's the point in knowing?” As long as this mindset remains there is little chance of getting the kind of mass co-operation required to stop or at least slow down the epidemic. If mass testing were to be promoted it would likely produce shocking results that would generate the sense of urgency needed to combat the spread of AIDS. It would be a big challenge for Ukrainian society and one which would leave its mark on an entire generation, but nevertheless it is high time Ukraine faced up to the reality of its AIDS problem before it is too late.
