Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding Author: Elizabeth J. Stigma associated with HIV and risk behaviors is known to be a barrier to health care access for many populations.
Less is known about female sex workers FSW in Russia, a population that is especially vulnerable to HIV-infection, and yet hard-to-reach for service providers. We administered a questionnaire to FSW to better understand how stigma and discrimination influence HIV service utilization.
Logistic regression analysis indicated that HIV-related stigma is negatively associated with uptake of HIV testing, while sex work-related stigma is positively associated with HIV testing.
While decreasing societal stigma should be a long-term goal, programs that foster inclusion of marginalized populations in Russian health care settings are urgently needed. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia, has consistently experienced one of the largest HIV prevalence rates within the country 2 , 3. These official statistics represent the number of registered cases, and the numbers are believed to be much higher 5. Petersburg are HIV-positive 8. Petersburg is Additionally, the sexual transmission of the virus is on the rise, and commercial sex work may be one of the reasons 2 , In St.
Studies of IDUs based in St. Petersburg have HIV The combination of involvement in injection drug use and commercial sex work increases the susceptibility to HIV-infection among these women. The male clients of sex workers in Russia are a potential bridge population for transmitting HIV-infection to their non-sex worker partners While HIV testing services and HIV treatment are available in Russia, it has been shown that these services are not adequately reaching the populations most vulnerable and in need.
