Bangkok 2004. Double discrimination: drug users living with HIV/AIDS

Drug users in Russia living with HIV/AIDS are often denied basic medical and social services and are systematically excluded from antiretroviral therapy programs. In this presentation to "HIV Treatment for Drug Users--A Realistic Goal," a satellite meeting of the XIV International AIDS Conference held on 15 July 2004, Dmitry Samoilov describes the discrimination faced by people living with HIV/AIDS in general, and HIV-positive drug users in particular. The presentation includes powerful personal testimonials from people living with HIV/AIDS. The author describes the obstacles to drug users' accessing health care, and concludes with suggestions for actions that should be taken to address the problem.