Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
United Press International - June 28, 2002
Marina Kozlova
"The (drug) problem affects the society as a whole, particularly young men and women, and results in an increase of deaths, human immunodeficiency virus infections and crime," said the final recommendations of the Regional Conference on Drug Abuse in Central Asia: Situation assessment and responses.
The meeting was attended by representatives of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The event was cosponsored by U.N. Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, the European Office of the World Health Organization, the government of Austria, the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The conference opened Wednesday and ended Friday.
More than 60 percent of Uzbeks infected with HIV are believed to be intravenous drug users. An examination of used syringes in Tashkent revealed 45.5 percent contained HIV positive blood.
A U.N. team said last year that drug addicts reused syringes without sterilizing them.
The U.N. drug body's 2000 statistics for the region were presented at the conference. It estimated the number of drug addicts in the region to be between 355,000 and 432,000, with Kazakhstan accounting for between 165,000 to 186,000 of those cases.
The report said Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan had "very high" rates of drug abuse.
The rate per 100,000 people was 1,644 to 2,054 and 1,110 to 1,251 respectively.
The comparative figure for Britain is 580 and for in Italy, 569. In Pakistan, the number was 360.
All five Central Asian states have been hit by the transit of drugs from neighboring Afghanistan on their way to profitable Russian and Western markets.
"The availability of cheap drugs in Central Asia is leaving behind a trail of drug abuse," the U.N. drug body said in the report's executive summary.
At the conference, Rustam Nazarov, the Tajik drug czar, said the amount of drugs coming into the region was expected to increase.
"Analysis of the current drug situation in the country (Uzbekistan) shows availability of real threat to national security and population health," the Uzbek National Security Service stated in a news release Thursday.
The conference recommended that national laws and policies should be in agreement with international conventions on human rights and should ensure protection of privacy and confidentiality.
The conference has helped cooperation at the regional level, Uzbekistan's First Deputy Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev said.
020628
UP020614
Copyright © 2002 - United Press International. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through United Press International, Permissions Desk, 1510 H St. N.W. Washington DC 2005. Main Phone Switchboard: 202-898-8000 FAX: 202-898-8057 or 202-898-8147 Email: info@upi.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .