T

housands of people gathered at Puputan Margana Square Tuesday to commemorate World AIDS Day, which falls every Dec. 1.

NGO activists, school students and even traditional market traders in Denpasar took part in the mass campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

Hundreds of people marched through the city's streets, bus terminals, schools and traditional markets to hand out pamphlets and fresh roses to passersby.

Several government officials, including Denpasar Deputy Mayor I.G.N. Jayanegara and Denpasar Health Agency Head Luh Putu Sri Armini, held speeches to warn people of the risks of contracting HIV/AIDS.

"Today we commemorate World AIDS Day to remind us of the epidemic and to prevent more people getting HIV/AIDS," Sri Armini said.

Bali ranks second behind Papua for the province with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS cases.

The Indonesian HIV/ AIDS Prevention Commission's (KPA) Bali office says the total number of people with HIV/AIDS in the province was 3047 in October 2009. Four months ago, the figure was only 2,647 people.

KPA Bali's Dr. Mangku Karnaya said last year that the number of people with HIV/AIDS on the resort island would likely reach 4,000 by the 2010.

Official estimates put at 298,000 the number of people with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, but the real figures may be much higher.

Even with a rise in the number of new cases, the government remains optimistic it can bring down the rate of infections through serious efforts and close cooperation with various NGOs and the community.

The five provinces with the highest number people with HIV/AIDS are Papua, which accounts for 17.9 percent of the national figure, Bali (5.3 percent), Jakarta (3.8 percent), Riau Islands (3.4 percent) and West Kalimantan (2.2 percent).

NGOs have long warned of the ticking time bomb that the disease poses to the younger generation, and have called for a joint effort with the government, universities and communities to launch a national awareness movement to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Sri Armini said the Denpasar Health Agency handed out 6,000 pamphlets and red ribbons during Tuesday's campaign, which also involved the NGOs Gaya Dewata (a gay community), the Kerti Praja Foundation, the Rama Sesana Foundation and thousands of school students from across the city.

At Badung Market, Rama Sesana members provided market traders with free medical services and health counseling. "All members of the community, including traders, must be made aware of the HIV/AIDS danger," said foundation director Luh Putu Upadisari. "Prevention is always much better than cure."