Experts explained how the Nizhny Novgorod region is combating HIV infection.

      December 1, 2025, 15:28

      Society

      NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" - Polina Zubova

      On December 1 the world observes World AIDS Day. On this day specialists around the globe remind people of the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and access to treatment for HIV infection.

      A press conference was held at the NOIC on that day, organized by the regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS. Representatives of regional ministries, agencies, as well as volunteer and non-profit organizations took part. Participants summed up the work done and reported on the results achieved in the fight against HIV infection.

      Prevalence and routes of transmission

      According to Tatiana Kovalenko, Deputy Minister of Health of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the HIV prevalence in the region is about 0.7%. In the Volga Federal District the figure reaches 0.75%. Thanks to systematic work, the number of new cases is decreasing, while coverage by diagnosis and treatment is steadily increasing.

      The main route of transmission is sexual. If in 1996 only 0.9% of cases were due to heterosexual contact, by 2025 that figure had risen to 83.4%. A significant share of infections through drug use also remains.

      Age profile of the infected

      The largest share of new cases falls on people aged 21 to 50. In 1996, 12 cases (6.6%) were identified in this category in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, and in 2025 there were already 619. The ratio of men to women among those infected is roughly equal, although detection among men is slightly lower due to the smaller number of men in this age group.

      Over recent decades the composition of cases has also changed: whereas HIV was more often detected in men before, today women account for up to 50%.

      Control of spread

      As of September 30, 2025, more than 211,000 people living with HIV are under observation in the Volga Federal District. Over nine months the district recorded 7,650 new cases, of which 54 were children.

      Moreover, the Nizhny Novgorod Region has already met its 2025 target for testing coverage — 36% of the population were tested in the first nine months of 2025.

      According to Natalya Sadykova, over the past 15 years prevention and therapy measures have prevented more than 26 million cases worldwide. In total, more than 52 million people are screened annually in Russia.

      The total number of deaths among people with HIV in Russia has exceeded 155,000. However, not all deaths are directly related to the virus.

      Vertical transmission of HIV

      One of the region’s achievements is the reduction in perinatal transmission of HIV. In 2023 and 2024 no cases of perinatal transmission were registered in the Nizhny Novgorod Region thanks to medical monitoring of pregnant women and the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) at all stages.

      Prevention and treatment

      Early diagnosis remains one of the most effective prevention tools. Screening programs are actively being developed in the Nizhny Novgorod Region: testing is available free of charge and anonymously at medical institutions, during outreach campaigns, as well as at health fairs and health centers.

      The region has established a centralized system for transporting biological samples and transmitting results via secure electronic channels. Laboratories are equipped with modern equipment, ensuring high accuracy and speed of analysis. All public medical institutions in the region are included in the diagnostic system.

      Moreover, in the Nizhny Novgorod Region more than 93% of HIV-positive patients receive antiretroviral therapy.

      "The key issue is timely detection of HIV infection and timely treatment of the sources of infection, since there is no vaccine against HIV. There is a principle — 'undetectable means untransmittable.' That is, if a person is receiving antiretroviral therapy, the virus in the blood is at such a low concentration that it cannot be sexually transmitted," noted Natalya Sadykova, Deputy Head of Rospotrebnadzor for the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

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