Petersburg, Russia, May Be Venue of Russia-USA Pilot Program on AIDS

The governor of St. Petersburg discussed with a US delegation the possibility of a joint HIV/AIDS pilot project in the city involving US charity foundations and scientific organizations. "AIDS is an international problem, and we can cope with it only together," said Gov. Valentina Matviyenko. St. Petersburg has more than 25,000 HIV-infected people, mostly males infected through injection drug use. But the disease is growing among children and pregnant women, representing a serious threat, said Yuri Scherbuck, chairperson of the city's health committee. Brookings Institution President Strobe Talbott, who headed the US delegation, supported the governor's offer to launch such a joint program and said the delegation would forward its report and recommendations to President Bush and Congress.

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