KIEV — A Ukrainian nonprofit group said Monday that customs officials have blocked a shipment of medication for 5,000 patients suffering from HIV.
The All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV urged Ukrainian authorities to immediately release the shipment, saying the drugs will get spoiled if not stored properly. The Ukrainian customs service said the medication worth $1.9 million was imported illegally. The network says the shipment is legal, but the accompanying paperwork was filled out incorrectly by mistake.
Ukraine has Europe's worst AIDS epidemic with 1.3 percent of Ukrainians older than 15 infected with HIV.
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