YEREVAN. The sensational statement made February 19 by the National TV by the Armenian Interior and
National Security Minister Serzh
> Sarkissian about the invention of
>Armenicum medicine by the Armenian
> scientists, treating AIDS, shook the
>whole world. The interest towards this
> small country has sharply increased
>after this invention. Despite of the fact
> that any information about this
>medicine is confidential the Armenian
> journalists however, manage to get an
>information. The aspiration of the
> authorities for the limitation of
>information is quite natural as from any
> leakage of information persons who hunt
>for this information may gain.
> Milliards of dollars are spent for the
>researches and invention of medicine.
> And, unexpectedly, in Armenia, former
>Soviet republic, having economic
> and financial problems invented a
>medicine number one against AIDS.
>
> As of March 1999, 8 persons died of HIV
>in Armenia. The official statistics
> is being carried out from January 1988
>and it evidences that the number of
> HIV-infected persons in Armenia has
>made 80 for the last 11 years. 70 of
> them are the citizens of Armenia and 4
>of them are the citizens of foreign
> states. The citizenship of the rest 6
>infected is not known as procedures
> were held anonymously. The greatest
>part of registered patients are males
> (60 persons). The number of persons
>suffering from the AIDS makes 14 in
> Armenia, 13 of them are men. 27 persons
>have been infected by the
> heterosexual way and 32 persons - as a
>result of intravenous usage of
> drugs.
>
> As to the treatment of the AIDS
>infected persons by the Armenicum
> Armenian medical preparation, according
>to the specialists, it improves the
> "quality of life". Thus, one of the
>patients had not eaten for 20 days and
> only after he had undergone the course
>of treatment, his appetite was
> restored. Another one, for example,
>went to buy cigarettes. One course of
> treatment lasts some three weeks
>(however, each patient needs individual
> approach). During 3-4 months, if the
>virus occurs in the blood again, the
> patient is to pass the course of
>treatment again.
>
> The approbation period can last up to 1
>year and at that period the patient
> can hold a valuable life. So, it is
>preliminary to speak about the final results
> of the treatment by the Armenicum,
>however first analyses give hope. The
> special feature of the Armenicum is
>that it is not being combined with other
> medical preparations and the patients
>undergo monotherapy. It gives an
> opportunity to register positive or
>negative effects of the preparation.
>
> Specialists evidence that if during the
>8-week usage of two known groups
> of preparations against the AIDS, there
>are no positive effects, the
> preparation is either to be changed or
>to be combined with another
> preparation. As a rule, these
>preparations are toxic and during an intensive
> therapy foreseeing 28 tabs per a day,
>bring side effects. Moreover, the HIV
> infection gets adopted in the organism
>and during some 8-month period it
> cultivates immunity against the
>preparation being used by the patient.
> There are 600 T-lymphocytes in one
>liter of the liquid in the healthy man's
> organism.
>
> If the person suffers from AIDS, the
>number of T-lymphocytes decreases
> stage by stage down to null and the
>person dies. During the disease, a
> person usually does not have appetite,
>looses 10% if the weight, has
> muscleache, cough and other symptoms.
>However, some infected persons
> can live up to 15 years, it depends on
>their immunity system. The first
> stage of the disease, so called hidden
>period, which can last up to 1 year
> is distinguished by the absence of any
>symptoms and analyses do not
> show the existence of the HIV, although
>it has started propagating in the
> organism.
>
> According to the world official
>statistics, the number of HIV-infected
> reaches 40 mln and in 2000 it is to
>reach the level of 47 mln. More than 13
> mln persons have already died of the
>virus. Each hour 667 persons die of
> the AIDS in the world. The virus was
>brought from Africa. At that time the
> US actively was buying donor blood from
>the African countries. Presently
> banks and enterprises are being closed
>in those countries and the genetic
> fund of the African continent is under
>the threat of distraction.
>
> 80 HIV-infected is a great number for
>such a small country as Armenia
> with the population making 3 mln
>persons. If even 100,000 HIV-infected
> visit the republic, Armenia will occur
>in the disbalance of the
> epidemeological situation. For the
>treatment of this infection a special
> state program is to be worked out,
>since without proper program the whole
> population of Armenia will become a
>risk group as aftermath of mass
> pilgrimage of HIV infected is hardly to
>envisaged.
>
> In the US the treatment of one patient
>costs some $140,000, in Britain
> some 30,000-40,000 pound sterling. It
>is natural that in Armenia the
> treatment will be cheaper and more
>effective. The time will show how
> efficient medicine will be, however,
>today the Armenian authorities are
> optimistic.
>
> As a matter of fact, AIDS treatment
>center will be shortly founded the
> bases of the First infectious hospital
>of Yerevan which after the complete
> reconstruction will open its doors to
>HIV and hepatitis-C infected.
>