Bangkok's grim reminder<\/p>\n
When did Indonesians last hear about the global HIV\/AIDS
\nepidemic? After the initial fright, came a hush that lulled many
\namong us into a state of complacency. Then came wishful thinking,
\nas in the minds of many Indonesians AIDS is something that
\nhappens elsewhere. Indonesians may believe that they are being
\nspared the ravaging effects of the epidemic. After all, AIDS
\nfigures published in the media have so far been on the low side,
\nunlike those in several other Asian countries and, especially, in
\nAfrica.<\/p>\n
Now, however, proof has come from the just-concluded 15th
\nInternational AIDS Conference in Bangkok to debunk the old truism
\nthat silence is golden. HIV and AIDS can happen anywhere, to
\nanyone careless enough to fail to take the proper precautions
\nwhere carefulness is imperative -- such as in sexual relations or
\ninjecting drug use. Silence and ignorance can certainly
\ncontribute to the growth of the epidemic.<\/p>\n
According to a report released this week by the Joint United
\nNations Program on HIV\/AIDS (UNAIDS) in cooperation with the
\nAsian Development Bank (ADB), more than 10 million people in the
\nAsia-Pacific region could be infected with HIV by the end of the
\ndecade, unless prompt action is taken -- a hefty addition to the
\napproximately 7 million people in those regions estimated to be
\nalready infected. The economic cost that such an addition would
\ninvolve could be as high as US$17.5 billion a year.<\/p>\n
While the number of people with HIV\/AIDS in Indonesia may be
\nconsidered relatively low, at about 120,000 according to the
\nWorld Health Organization (WHO), this is no reason for
\nunjustified complacency. According to UNAIDS, the number of
\npeople with HIV\/AIDS in Indonesia grew by 3,924 from 1987 to
\n2003. Of those 2,685 were HIV-positive and 1,413 had developed
\nfull-blown AIDS. Of course, these figures probably do not
\nrepresent the total number of cases. The real figures are not
\neasy to come by or to estimate, mainly because of widespread
\nignorance among the populace that exists about the disease.<\/p>\n
Obviously, initiating a fitting program of education to change
\npeople's attitudes toward the disease, combined with encouraging
\na greater sense of realism in the community and among its
\nleaders, is one of the most important prerequisites for success.
\nAs Jusuf Kalla, a vice presidential candidate and former
\ncoordinating minister for people's welfare, so aptly put it:
\n\"There is nothing wrong for religious and community leaders to
\nurge the use of condoms among people unafraid of sinning by
\nengaging in extramarital sex.\"<\/p>\n
Obviously, with women making up nearly half of all people in
\nthe Asia-Pacific region infected with HIV, greater emphasis
\nshould also be given to this particular segment of our society,
\nincluding eliminating gender bias wherever it exists. In this
\nsame context, the government's efforts to make generic
\nantiretroviral drugs (ARVs) available to HIV\/AIDS patients
\ndeserve to be lauded. However, the Rp 200,000 per person
\nsubsidies that are to be allocated through 25 designated
\nhospitals seem hardly enough.<\/p>\n
While under current economic and political circumstances it is
\ndifficult to hope that all those needs can be provided for, it is
\ncertainly not too much to hope that a fitting solution can be
\nfound to take on the HIV\/AIDS epidemic with all the means that
\nare available, and without delay.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bangkoks-grim-reminder-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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