MOSCOW. Oct 31 (Interfax) - U.S. programs for helping Nigeria oppose HIV have not worked, Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces chief Igor Kirillov said.
"We would like to cite the example of Nigeria today to show that the declared objectives of projects to promote the development of public healthcare are false," Kirillov said at a press briefing on Tuesday.
"The U.S. defense agency claims that biological projects in Nigeria are designed to oppose HIV/AIDS. At the same time, the efficacy of this program is seriously doubtful. Despite the fact that the financing has been increased from year to year and has currently reached about $100 million in aggregate, the HIV incidence rate has practically not changed since 2009. The death rate among HIV-infected persons also manifests a negative trend," Kirillov said.
"The U.S. medications, the use of which in Nigeria has been steadily growing as per statistics, have no real therapeutic efficacy, and Nigerian citizens have been used as free subjects for clinical trials," he said.
"Under the guise of addressing issues in public healthcare systems on the African continent, the Pentagon has been pursuing its own goals, like monitoring the biological situation and collecting and taking away samples of pathogenic agents and their vectors. This activity is being continued now, as well," Kirillov said.