Russia’s Position

As President of the Group of Eight, the Russian Federation, in view of the current picture in which HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, emerging avian influenza, and some new threats are looming, is going to propose global measures to strengthen the anti-infection effort to ensure effective protection based on reliable epidemiological data, social partnership, and a common commitment to provide equal access to diagnostics, prevention, and treatment for all people in need.

Russian experts suggest that an important component of that global effort would be refocusing from the disease-oriented approach to looking at a broader picture, creating general conditions at the national, regional, and global levels to fight infectious diseases more effectively. This is important because a capability to fight future infections as well as the existing ones is what mankind needs to have here and now.

Special attention will be drawn to global infection monitoring, prevention of a possible pandemic of avian influenza, closer coordination of anti-infectious components of various nations in international disaster relief operations, and greater academic mobility of the infection research community.

All the commitments, new as well as the existing ones – polio, HIV/AIDS, TB – will be considered in the context of promotion of and support for developing countries’ national anti-infectious capabilities.

Russia has a successful long-term record of fighting infectious diseases. Accordingly, there is strong hope that the St. Petersburg 2006 G8 Summit will result in many important decisions contributing to the global struggle against lethal infections.

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