A present danger<\/p>\n
Up to September, 449 people in Indonesia either had the still
\nincurable Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), or had
\ntested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which
\ncauses the syndrome, and 66 of them had died. This, it must be
\nnoted, is according to the latest accounts made public by the
\nMinistry of Health. Non-governmental and international
\norganizations put their estimates much higher. According to the
\nWorld Health Organization, as many as 50,000 Indonesians might
\nalready be infected with HIV.<\/p>\n
Indonesians have long understood that the official figures are
\nmost likely on the low side, presumably because only reported
\ncases are counted and because infection with HIV is usually not
\ndetected until after AIDS symptoms occur. Now a radically
\ndifferent estimate has surfaced, which hopefully will jolt
\nIndonesians out their lethargic approach to preventing the spread
\nof HIV.<\/p>\n
According to the Center for Health Research, which is run by
\nthe University of Indonesia, between 12,000 and 31,000 people in
\nthis country are already dying each year from AIDS. As the
\ncenter's director, Meiwita B. Iskandar, explained, the figures
\nare far higher that those officially acknowledged by the
\ngovernment because Indonesia lacks an effective system for
\nmonitoring the actual number of HIV and AIDS cases in this
\ncountry and so only the reported cases are recognized.<\/p>\n
But even allowing for such difficulties, we believe most
\npeople will agree that the disparity between the two estimates --
\nthat of the Ministry of Health and that of the University of
\nIndonesia's Center for Health Research -- really stuns the mind.
\nThe research center's lowest estimate of the annual death figure,
\nfor example, is almost two hundred times the total number of
\ndeaths recorded by the ministry. And if between 12,000 and 31,000
\npeople in this country die of AIDS each year, certainly the
\nnumber of people who at present either have AIDS or are HIV-
\npositive must be dramatically greater than the 449 recorded by
\nthe health ministry as of September.<\/p>\n
We are aware that it is not easy to obtain accurate nationwide
\nstatistics about anything in this country. Nevertheless, the huge
\ngap that exists between the AIDS and HIV figures as mentioned
\nabove somehow needs accounting for. One might question the
\naccuracy of the Center of Health Research's figures, but surely
\nnot the reputation of the University of Indonesia with which the
\ncenter is associated. Thus the figures which it has released
\ncannot simply be discarded as a product of sensationalism.<\/p>\n
The estimate of the Center for Health Research -- or rather
\nthe discrepancy between its estimate and that previously made
\npublic by the government -- is shocking in more ways than one. On
\nthe one hand the center's figures suggest that AIDS is already a
\nclear and present danger in Indonesia. On the other hand they
\ncould raise the suspicion of a cover-up concerning the real
\nmagnitude of the AIDS hazard in this country.<\/p>\n
While it is true that an alarmist approach to the problem
\nwould only aggravate the situation, trying to keep the public
\ncalm by leaving people ignorant of the true magnitude of the
\nthreat of AIDS would be criminal. A helpful first step towards
\nattacking the problem would be to abandon our present seemingly
\neasygoing approach toward AIDS and to develop a more aggressive
\nline of attack in preventing HIV infection.<\/p>\n
A deeper and wider awareness of the problem must be cultivated
\namong the public. Moral and religious education, as suggested by
\nmany, would decidedly help, but the more pragmatic course of
\neducating the public, especially sex workers and those who are
\nlikely to come into contact with them, in the practice of safe
\nsex must not be overlooked.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-present-danger-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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