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.