The number of registered cases in Russia of HIV infections since 1987 is getting closer to 550,000.

This figure is contained in a report distributed by the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzora) during a press conference in Moscow.

As of June 15, 2010 the official number of registered HIV infections was 547,143. Of these cases, 4,709 are children, including 3,000 who were infected during childbirth.

Since the beginning of the year, in Russia each day roughly 170 new cases of the virus are detected. In total, from January to May 2010, the number of people living with HIV grew by 25,535.

It should be noted that the epidemic is concentrated in the most active part of the population: more than 82% of HIV-positive people are between the ages of 20 to 40.

Translated by Timothy Grishin