ABSTRACT
AIDS out of control: In retrospect it should have been obvious that Russia and the former Soviet Union were potentially prime territory for AIDS. In the early 1990s there were already large transient populations, consisting of refugees, migrant workers, and soldiers. Prostitution was common and on the rise, homosexuality was coming into the open, and there was widespread promiscuity. Condoms and other prophylactics were not widely available, and in any event were derided as “galoshes”. Hypodermic needles were in short supply, and were often reused, even in hospitals. Popular awareness of AIDS was nil, and the government denied that there was a threat. The public health systems of the former Soviet republics had collapsed, and there was no funding or equipment for blood testing. In short, these were among the conditions that prevailed in Asia before the AIDS epidemic began to spread there.
