W

hile continuing curative therapies on infected people, the government will focus on preventing new HIV infection to keep the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the country low.

Currently, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS infections in Indonesia stands at 0.3 percent of the total population, according to Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono.

The minister said on Friday the prevalence is lower than the 0.5 percent figure set out in the Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No.3/2010 on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“New infection must be prevented. Unfortunately, many people are still unaware of the dangers of HIV. So, we will give people more information on the risks for HIV infection and preventive measures we can do to avoid the critical illness,” the minister said.

“By conducting such efforts, we hope that we will have zero new HIV infections by 2015,” he told a press conference after a coordinating meeting on HIV/AIDS prevention at the Health Ministry.

The meeting reported that 10 provinces showed the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence, consisting of Bali, Central Java, East Java, Jakarta, Papua, Riau, South Sulawesi, West Java, West Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara.

Data from the Health Ministry revealed that new HIV infections declined to 15,589 cases in 2011 from 21,591 cases in 2010. As of September 2011, the total number of HIV infections reached 71,437 cases.

The new AIDS infections reached 1,805 cases in 2011, down from 4,917 cases in the previous year. In overall, AIDS cases reached 28,041.

Despite the improvements, there is an increasing trend in the number of new infections since they were first revealed in 1980s.

Agung said new perinatal-transmitted HIV/AIDS cases in which mothers infected their babies continued to rise as heterosexual transmissions accounted for most of new HIV/AIDS cases.

“HIV can now infect not only homosexual men and drug users but also housewives. It is alarming,” he said.

Unfortunately, comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS, especially among young people, remained low. Moreover, very few men considered at high risk of contracting the infections were aware of the importance of condom use.

According to the AIDS National Commission (KPA), the number of new AIDS cases through heterosexual transmission reached 76.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011, up from 38.5 percent in the same period of 2006. With increased heterosexual transmission of HIV, the risk of prenatal transmission of HIV/AIDS continues to soar.

New prenatal-transmitted AIDS cases reached 4.7 percent in the second quarter of 2011, increasing from 2.2 percent in the same period of 2006, the commission said.

Halting the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of MDGs targets, in which Indonesia has not yet reached desirable outcomes, including improvements on the knowledge of HIV/AIDS among people aged 15-24 years, condom use among high-risk people and the decline of new infection cases.

Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said condom use among women with high risk had shown significant progress. The condom use at high risk women was projected to reach 35 percent.

“We have achieved it but not with the target of condom use among high risk men,” she said.

Citing ministry data, she said that the condom use among high risk men stood at 14 percent, lower than the government’s target of around 20 percent. Only 20.6 percent of young people aged 15-24 percent had comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, far lower than the ministry’s target of around 75 percent.

“We still have a lot more work to do,” said Endang.

To give young people more information on the infections, last November the Health Ministry launched the “Aku Bangga Aku Tahu (I’m proud I know)” campaign at 1,000 schools in 100 regencies and municipalities. The campaign aimed to improve comprehensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS for young people aged 15-24 years.

To achieve the government’s “getting to zero” targets, KPA Secretary Nafsiah Mboi said introducing people to more information on the dangers of HIV/AIDS and seven key strategies against the infection introduced by the commission remained the key.

They include preventing infection through injecting drug use, sexual intercourse and prenatal transmission; retroviral treatment; circumcision; “positive-prevention” of HIV, and safety measures on blood and blood products.

“Prevented-illness will be much better due to lower burden of health costs it may cause,” she said.

Yet, more resources are also needed as funding for fighting against HIV/AIDS is projected to reach US$214 million in 2012.

“We still have about $126 million uncovered,” Nafsiah said, referring to funding from Global Fund and other sources, which would reach $54 million, while the Indonesian government could only provide $34 million.