UNAIDS is saddened by the death of doctor and activist Aza Rakhmanova, who passed away on 18 November at the age of 83 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Ms Rakhmanova had an illustrious career in medicine and public health and was internationally recognized as a leading specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of HIV. She served as the Chief of Infectious Diseases for the City of Saint Petersburg and established model programmes for diphtheria, hepatitis, harm reduction and HIV infection.

In 1987, Ms Rakhmanova was among the first medical specialists to diagnose and treat people living with HIV in the Soviet Union. At a time when fear and ignorance about HIV was common, she was a ceaseless advocate for treatment, care and support for people living with HIV based on compassion and dignity.

In the early 1990s, she served as the adviser to Mayor Anatoly Sobchak on HIV infection and helped establish Saint Petersburg as one of the first cities to excel in AIDS research, prevention and treatment. Through her work at the Botkin Hospital for Infectious Diseases and the Republican Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital in Ust-Igora, thousands of people living with HIV received the highest quality of medical care and support. As the Chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Saint Petersburg Medical Academy for Postgraduate Studies, she provided advanced training on HIV diagnosis, treatment, prevention, care and support to many medical specialists from throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States.