Deputy Prime Minister Vasil Shaikhraziev meets participants of the Test to Win project

On December 1, speaking at a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Vasil Shaikhraziev and organizers and volunteers of the Test to Win project aimed to promote healthy lifestyles and to prevent HIV infection, First Deputy Minister of Education of Tatarstan Sergey Osipov said that the number of new HIV-positive people registered in Tatarstan has reduced by five per cent as compared to the previous year.

Responsible attitude of the population to their own health and being aware of how to prevent the disease are the key moments that can stop the spread of HIV, Shaikhraziev noted. The republic places special emphasis on informing the population and preventive work. He continued that massive HIV-testing of the public was held during preparation for the 2013 Universiade. The same work was done before the FINA World Championships in 2015. In 2016, every participant of the Kazan Marathon voluntarily underwent the HIV- test. Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov and famous cultural and sports figures of federal scale set an example. In 2017, the Kazan Marathon brought together even more participants.

"By doing this work, we have created confidence among citizens of our republic that HIV is not a fatal disease, if, like with other diseases, one passes tests and diagnostics in early stages. You can always be proactive,"  Shaykhraziev noted.

At the same time, the leadership of the republic admits that the achievements of Tatarstan even more ambitious than in many other regions of the country are just in the beginning. There is still a lot of work to do and people, non-profit organizations and volunteers will facilitate it. "On the 27th of November in Moscow, our Regional AIDS Centre won the first place in the nomination “For the best motivation activities to promote HIV-testing" among Russian AIDS centers for holding the Test to Win campaign,” the deputy Prime Minister said.