Russia Accepts World Bank Loan to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis

To fight the spread of AIDS and TB, Russia has accepted a $150 million loan from the World Bank, ending a four-year negotiation process, bank officials said Friday. The loan was first offered in 1999, but Russia objected to the stipulation requiring monitoring of patients receiving medication. Russian President Vladimir Putin finally signed off on the loan, which will take effect this year. "Russia has one of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world" and also a "fearsome" TB problem, especially drug-resistant strains, according to Olesoji Adeyi, a World Bank health specialist. "It's a potential dual epidemic," said Adeyi, because people with weakened immune systems from AIDS are particularly vulnerable to contracting TB. HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly through Russia, mainly due to IV drug use and a lack of prevention programs. TB has also emerged as a serious problem, especially in Russia's overcrowded prisons.

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