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Jakarta Post

Editorial: Living with HIV/AIDS

The “hard three letters to absorb”, said the actor Charlie Sheen, are HIV, for which he was diagnosed positive a few years ago

The Jakarta Post
Tue, December 1, 2015

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Editorial: Living with HIV/AIDS

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he '€œhard three letters to absorb'€, said the actor Charlie Sheen, are HIV, for which he was diagnosed positive a few years ago. Former spouses are now planning to sue the American actor following his announcement last month of the diagnosis on NBC'€™s Today television program, claiming they did not know his medical condition. How many millions of people in Indonesia are not telling their spouses of similar conditions is unclear today; even testing for the human immunodeficiency virus is frightening to many, despite campaigns promising discreet testing services.

Therefore, those who know they have been infected by HIV in the early stages are among the fortunate for they would likely be more careful for the sake of loved ones and themselves. For younger people, knowing the condition early in life could mean longer productive years ahead, whether or not they develop the acquired immune deficiency syndrome '€” if they can get adequate access to treatment. Antiretroviral therapy, a treatment to improve the quality of life of people with HIV, although not a cure, is now partially subsidized under the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS).

A new UN Asia-Pacific report, released ahead of the Dec. 1 World AIDS Day, revealed that Indonesia was among 10 countries in the region with the heaviest '€œHIV burden among adolescents'€. The estimated number of new HIV infections among adolescents in the country was 15,000 last year, an increase from 12,000 in 2004. An official at the Health Ministry said many Indonesians found to be infected were aged 20 to 49, but they had contracted the virus as early as 15 years old, given its 10-year incubation period.

Compared to adults, young people until now were a '€œneglected component of national HIV testing, treatment, care and support strategies'€, the report said.

Overall HIV infections in Indonesia rose to 177,000 this year from 150,296 cases last year, but as the official said, the figures were likely the tip of the iceberg as many more people have yet to be tested. With nearly 33,000 cases of HIV infections Jakarta has the highest HIV prevalence compared with other provinces.

Incentives for testing are low when one faces both the fear of life-long stigma and the unreachably high costs of medicine and treatment.

'€œThe epidemic has reached all provinces, but access to medication is still difficult,'€ said physician Kartono Mohamad, the cofounder and chairman of the Indonesian AIDS Foundation. '€œAntiretrovirals must be available in all regions,'€ he said.

Another neglected group is housewives, as the government has found in the last few years. Earlier awareness and treatment campaigns targeted the usual suspects such as inter-city truck drivers, sailors and the gay community, forgetting to include their spouses. This means virtually everyone must be involved to prevent ourselves from being infected.

The previous administration can be proud that it managed to bring down the number of infected newborns who had HIV-positive mothers. The same commitment is needed to reach out to all groups across society.

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