Involve medical students in anti-AIDS campaign: Expert<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An Australian expert has proposed that Indonesia
\nuse medical students in its anti-AIDS campaign among school
\nteachers and students.<\/p>\n
Robert V. Short, a professor at the department of physiology
\nof Monash University in Melbourne, said that medical students are
\nbetter able to convince high school students about this matter
\nthan teachers.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar on the prevention and spread of HIV\/AIDS
\nyesterday, he said the right way to inform young people about the
\ndeadly disease is by making a model classroom and bringing in
\ninformation about AIDS.<\/p>\n
The seminar, which took place at the Cipto Mangunkusumo
\nCentral Hospital, was sponsored by the AIDS Special Study Group
\nof the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The number of HIV\/AIDS sufferers in Indonesia was registered
\nat 312 last month, 10 of whom had died. Less than one fifth of
\nthe 312 are foreigners who have since returned to their
\nrespective countries.<\/p>\n
Short said he once set up a special class to discuss the
\nspread of the disease and how to prevent it.<\/p>\n
He said the program can be started here with a small class for
\nteachers to fully inform them about AIDS.<\/p>\n
The professor said that young people should be persuaded to
\npostpone sexual activity. Saying that in the west many girls
\nbecame pregnant outside of marriage.<\/p>\n
\"It will be a disaster if the situation keeps on going,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"The best sex is no sex until the persons are actually
\nresponsible enough for a commitment,\" Short said.<\/p>\n
He also said that sex education does not encourage people to
\nhave sex earlier. \"Instead,\" he said, \"those who have the most
\neducation start sexual activity the latest.\"<\/p>\n
Short said he had already spoken to Minister of Health Sujudi
\nand reports that the minister is very interesting in his idea.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the controversy surrounding condoms here, Short
\nconfirmed that the use of the contraceptive device is 95 to 97
\npercent effective in stopping the spread of AIDS.<\/p>\n
He said if people use condoms carefully and constantly in
\ntheir sexual activities, the effort to contain the spread of AIDS
\nwill be extremely effective.<\/p>\n
\"For most sexually active young people, condoms should be the
\ncontraceptive of first choice,\" Short added.<\/p>\n
He said that distributing the condoms to prostitutes would
\nonly be effective if the distributors teach them not to have sex
\nwith customers who refuse to use the condoms.<\/p>\n
\"Prostitutes do not want to die,\" he said. \"They will do
\nanything not to lose their lives.\"<\/p>\n
Short told The Jakarta Post that a medicine, AZT
\n(Azidothymidine), when given to breast feeding mothers can reduce
\nthe percentage of infected babies but not to cure them.<\/p>\n
Short also said breast feeding is still the best answer to the
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
Mothers infected with HIV or AIDS should continue breast
\nfeeding their babies, he said.<\/p>\n
The only exception, he said, is if they were infected by the
\nvirus through a blood transfusion.<\/p>\n
Short also said that the World Health Organization has issued
\nHIV prevention strategies including social marketing of condoms,
\ntreatment of sexually transmitted diseases, information and
\neducation in schools and in mass media, and the promotion of
\ncondoms among prostitutes and their clients.(05)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/involve-medical-students-in-anti-aids-campaign-expert-1447893297",
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