21 Papuan students affected by HIV/AIDS, officials say

21 Papuan students affected by HIV/AIDS, officials say

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

At least 1,263 people in Papua province, including 21 students,
were recorded as having HIV infection or living with AIDS, local
officials said on Friday.

The students concerned were from several junior and high
schools in the remote regency of Merauke.

"The cases of the 21 students came to light last year," said
Papua Deputy Governor Constan Karma, who chairs the province's
AIDS Prevention Commission.

He said the infected Papuans were 20 to 29 years of age, on
average. He did not state their exact ages.

Karma told journalists at his office in the provincial
capital, Jayapura, that around 90 percent of those living with
HIV/AIDS had acquired it through sexual intercourse.

He added that the spread of HIV/AIDS had reached a "critical
level" in Papua as on average it attacked around 25.13 of every
100,000 local people. The province is home to at least 2,233,540
people.

"It has alarmed us extremely. The 1,263 cases of HIV/AIDS
means Papua has recorded the greatest number of cases in the
entire country," Karma added.

These comprised 724 cases of HIV and 539 of AIDS, and at least
350 of people with AIDS had died, he said.

Merauke is the worst-hit regency in Papua with at least 307
AIDS and 220 HIV cases, followed by Timika with 44 AIDS and 264
HIV cases and Sorong 149 (60 AIDS and 89 HIV cases).

The HIV/AIDS cases in Papua were first discovered in Merauke
10 years ago when local officials said the virus was brought by
fishermen from Thailand, who were believed to have had sexual
relations with prostitutes in the regency.

Karma said the serious HIV/AIDS problem should be the
responsibility of the local administration, non-governmental
organizations and others, particularly family members.

"The family is the smallest community institution within the
state. If it is strong and tough, the nation is tough too. But I
see a shift in attitude among mothers who are now busy outside
their homes. This means that their children do whatever they
want," he added.

To prevent the virus from spreading further, he said, the
Papua administration had carried out several measures, including
the drafting of a bylaw that would oblige all visitors to
prostitution complexes to use condoms.

"The draft is being prepared and it will take many aspects
into account before being approved, because sexual relations are
an extremely personal matter," Karma said.

He said he believed that a condom campaign was the most
effective measure to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. "In this
case, we should learn from Thailand and Uganda in achieving 100
percent condom use." Karma did not elaborate.