T

he HIV/AIDS epidemic in Indonesia, especially in West Java, with 42.5 million inhabitants, continues to spread.

Bony Wiem Lestari, a researcher at the epidemiology and biostatistics department of Bandung'€™s Padjadjaran University'€™s (Unpad) medical school, says that housewives, or women who are currently in the low-risk category, could be at risk in the future.

'€œThis is due to infection from their spouses, especially now when infection from men who have sex with other men is rising,'€ said Bony in a seminar titled '€œWill HIV-Generalized Epidemic Occur in West Java?'€ at the Unpad medical school in Bandung last Thursday.

As an illustration, Bony said 432 people were infected with HIV in 2005, with a further 287 with AIDS. This rose in 2011 to 1,556 people infected with HIV and 892 people with AIDS. Although the number of AIDS cases dropped to 461 in 2012, the number of HIV cases increased to 1,895.

Failure to handle the HIV/AIDS cases appropriately, said Bony, could lead to around 90,000 people infected with HIV by 2015.

'€œMaximum intervention is required,'€ said Bony, adding that HIV/AIDS prevention programs for the gay, transvestite, and men who have sex with other men (GWL) groups remained inadequate.

So far, said Bony, the source of infection was largely from the gay group, contributing to around 50 percent of the cases.

Okkeu Supriyadi, an activist from Srikandi Pasundan, a group focusing on GWL communities in Bandung, said his group faced difficulties in carrying out counseling due to limited funds.

One of the obstacles in advocating HIV/AIDS issues with the GWL communities, said Okkeu, was people'€™s lack of awareness. He cited as an example when he took dozens of transvestites to the community health clinic (Puskesmas) to undergo sexually transmitted disease (STD) examinations.

'€œSome of the Puskesmas staff had apparently provided a responsible person to attend to a patient. If the appointed person was unavailable, other medical workers refused to treat the patient,'€ said Okkeu.

Based on research carried out by Srikandi Pasundan, only 43 percent, or 14,324 members of the gay community and only 45 percent of members of the transvestite community, or 405 people were already familiar with HIV/AIDS information.

HIV/AIDS counseling for members of the GWL community, said Okkeu, should be enhanced because data showed that the number of younger members, aged between 15 and 24 years old, of the GWL community was increasing.

'€œThe increase is between five and 10 people each month in Bandung,'€ said Okkeu.

Regarding the prevention of HIV/AIDS, West Java AIDS Prevention Commission secretary Pantja Widi said the issue could be resolved if every level of society was involved in the HIV/AIDS prevention drive.

'€œHIV is a community health issue and has turned into a social issue. It is not only the responsibility of people in the health sector, but all of us as a society as well,'€ said Pantja, adding that the spread of HIV knew no boundaries of age, sex or occupation.