The face of HIV/AIDS in Armenia

Since 2009 Mission East has been at the forefront of a large-scale project aiming to fight the spread of HIV in Armenia and thus reduce the number of Armenians falling ill with AIDS.
In most parts of the world, including southern Africa, huge efforts of prevention, care and treatment have resulted in bringing the epidemic to a halt, with the number of new cases each year stabilizing.
This is contrasted with the situation in most of the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia, where the number of new cases each year continues to grow.
Since 1988, more than 1,100 Armenians have been registered as being infected with HIV, with 529 of these falling ill with AIDS, and 255 of them having died from AIDS.
In reality, however, the number of people living with HIV in Armenia today is estimated to be as high as 2,500, i.e. a huge number of people are living with the infection without being aware of this, and thus representing a huge risk to those who may get the disease from them.
In 2008 Mission East in Armenia was nominated and selected as the NGO Principal Recipient of the world’s largest private foundation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Since 2009, in line with its mission and values, Mission East has been using great capacities to implement the project entitled “Support to the National Program on the response to HIV Epidemic in Armenia” aiming at reducing the spread of HIV among populations that are most at risk (injecting drug users, commercial sex workers and men having sex with men), as well as providing care and support to people living with HIV, and finally by supporting awareness campaigns addressed at the general population of Armenia, especially the youth.
Mission East’s role in the program is to manage and co-ordinate the work of 11 local Armenian organizations and to ensure smooth implementation of all program activities and reporting to the donor on achievements made.
37.5% of new cases of HIV in Armenia have been transmitted through injecting drugs, but more than 53% have been transmitted through heterosexual intercourse, often with drug users.
Thus, many of those contracting the infection spend a long time before they become aware of their status, as exemplified by the photo story below.
34-year old Rosanna Movsesyan represents a typical case of an Armenian lady who got HIV from her husband. What is not typical about Rosanna is that she has wanted to step forward with her story, telling about her plight, and thus warning others who might be in the same situation about the risks and consequences of HIV.
Rosanna works for the organization PPAN, supported by Mission East, which works to inform about the dangers of the infection, and to provide care to those infected and their relatives, including Rosanna’s 10-year old daughter.
Please read Rosanna’s very personal account in the pictures to follow!