People 15 to 30 years old account for 80 percent of Russians infected with the HIV virus, compared with 54 percent in 2002, officials in Moscow said.
The figures were announced during a Federation Council conference, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
Officials said there are approximately 231 HIV-infected persons per 100,000 citizens, nearly double the 121-per-100,000 rate reported in 2001.
Hepatitis A rates increased 17.5 percent during the past eight months, with up to 27 percent of the Hepatitis A patients contracting the disease in hospitals, including via blood transfusion, Interfax reported.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
