TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
AIDS cases stay high, prevention efforts remain ineffective
If it’s not on, it’s not on: An anti AIDS/HIV activist displays different colors and sizes of condoms during an event to observe World AIDS Day at the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine, Jakarta, on Monday
Change Size
I
span class="inline inline-right">If it’s not on, it’s not on: An anti AIDS/HIV activist displays different colors and sizes of condoms during an event to observe World AIDS Day at the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine, Jakarta, on Monday. JP/Nurhayati
Commemoration of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 will be marked by the high number of HIV/AIDS cases in West Java, and ineffective disease mitigation efforts in Papua, two AIDS prevalent provinces in Indonesia.
Lax HIV/AIDS prevention has raised the number of new AIDS cases in West Java, making it the province with the highest number of new AIDS cases in the country.
The West Java AIDS Eradication Commission (KPAD) has recorded 4,029 cases of HIV/AIDS since the first finding in 1989 until September this year, with 1,930 HIV infections and almost twice the number of AIDS cases.
West Java KPAD spokesman Tri Irwanda said there were difficulties in early HIV detection because many cases were only detected after they had entered the AIDS phase, such as the 77 percent of 94 children below the age of four who had contracted AIDS because their mothers did not know they had been exposed to the virus during pregnancy.
“Temporary evaluation conducted by the West Java KPAD showed the surge in the number of AIDS infections was attributed to lax early prevention efforts.
“We must further promote voluntary counseling and the [VCT] testing method. People with a high risk of infection are more aware of the method, but we must also promote it to those outside that group because they are also exposed to the disease,” Tri told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Monday.
Data also shows that a higher number of housewives were exposed to HIV/AIDS compared to sex workers.
The KPAD recorded that 357 housewives had HIV/AIDS, 64 percent of whom had entered the AIDS phase, while it recorded 264 cases of HIV/AIDS in sex workers, 17 percent of whom has entered the AIDS phase.
The disease has also spread to people from the low-income bracket, such as motorcycle taxi, or ojek, drivers, parking attendants, pedicab drivers and domestic maids.
West Java Health Office head Alma Lucyati said her office must work together with various anti-HIV/AIDS groups to focus more on the “no drugs , no free sex” campaign in an effort to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS within the community.
Alma said the further detection of HIV/AIDS cases in West Java was attributed to the achievement made by NGOs, KPAD and medical workers in detecting more cases, but the high number of AIDS cases still showed less awareness of the disease in the community.
“Almost 65 percent of HIV/AIDS infection is contracted through injecting drug users,” said Alma.
Meanwhile, ineffective HIV/AIDS mitigation efforts has led to Papua becoming one of the most
HIV/AIDS prevalent provinces in Indonesia.
“I see that ineffective mitigation efforts without clear concepts and direction have apparently curbed the spread of HIV/AIDS, but methods to reach the objective are still doubtful,” said a HIV/AIDS activist from the Jayapura Support Group, Robert Sihombing.
He said phrases used in campaigns failed to deliver positive impressions and he expressed regret about the billions of rupiah being disbursed for HIV/AIDS measures, while mitigation concepts remained unclear.
