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Jakarta Post

Private workers, housewives most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS

Private employees top the list of professions most vulnerable to the infection of HIV and AIDS in the city, Jakarta AIDS Prevention Commission (KPAP) says

Novia D. Rulistia (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, November 25, 2011 Published on Nov. 25, 2011 Published on 2011-11-25T09:31:27+07:00

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rivate employees top the list of professions most vulnerable to the infection of HIV and AIDS in the city, Jakarta AIDS Prevention Commission (KPAP) says.

KPAP secretary Rohana Manggala said that between January and June this year, 283 private employees contracted HIV/AIDS, of whom 199 were HIV positive and 89 had AIDS. The total figure was 766.

“Heterosexual contact became the main means of HIV transmission among private employees,” she said.

The commission also found that housewives were the second-most infected demographic, with a total of 147 HIV/AIDS cases. In third place were self-employed individuals with 139 cases.

The commission found that 48 prison inmates contracted HIV. Other professions on the list were nonprofessional medical workers with 29 cases and students with 27 cases.

Data from the commission also showed that 651 heterosexuals were at the highest risk of being infected by HIV/AIDS. A total of 431 individuals with HIV/AIDS were drug users and 39 others were bisexuals.

The commission collected the data from its service posts across the city.

The KPAP also issued a warning that more people could be infected from heterosexual behavior.

“Based on the reports we received from our service posts, we predict that 400,000 men in Jakarta are likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS transmitted by their heterosexual behavior, but we predict that the actual number may reach one million,” she said.

Rohana also said that the 1,184 HIV/AIDS cases recorded in Greater Jakarta in the first six months made Jakarta the city with the most HIV/AIDS cases in the country.

So far, 675 people have tested HIV positive, 509 of whom had AIDS and 109 people had died.

Most cases were found in West Jakarta, Rohana said.

HIV is mostly found in men, with 865 cases compared to 318 cases found among women, the KPAP data said.

Jakarta has the most people testing HIV positive this year, followed by Papua and West Java.

Last year, 1,310 new AIDS cases and 1,433 HIV cases were found in Jakarta, up from 603 AIDS cases and 777 HIV cases recorded in 2009.

Since 1987, Jakarta has seen a total of 9,784 reported cases of HIV and AIDS.

Nationwide, more than 66,000 people have tested HIV positive and over 26,000 have AIDS. Most of the HIV cases were the result of risky sexual behavior.

More than 70 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases were found in individuals between 20-39 years old.

The Family Planning Coordinating Agency (BKKBN) said that Indonesia had the fastest HIV transmission in Southeast Asia.

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