Drug abuse increases spread of HIV/AIDS in North Sumatra

Drug abuse increases spread of HIV/AIDS in North Sumatra

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Drug abuse has raised renewed concerns in North Sumatra as it
is contributing significantly to the rise in the number of
HIV/AIDS cases, which has reached 56 since the first case was
discovered in the province in 1992.

Head of the local health agency in Medan, Herman Saddeck, said
on Friday that his officers had found that almost half of the 37
people infected with Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) as of
last April in the North Sumatra capital were drug-addicts who had
contracted the virus through sharing needles.

"We have conducted urine tests on over 1,000 school students
from 19 schools here as a precaution. Initial results show that
20 students are using drugs," Herman said.

Of the eight people who have died of full-blown Acquired
Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Medan over the past few
years, five were known drug addicts.

Deputy chairman of the province's HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse
Commission Linda T. Maas concurred with Herman, saying that the
anti-HIV/AIDS campaign should target drug addicts, particularly
those in the age brackets between 20 and 29 years old.

Unprotected sex, however, remained the major cause of the
deadly diseases.

Medan ranks first of all the cities in North Sumatra affected
by HIV/AIDS with 37 cases, ahead of Labuhan Batu, South Tapanuli,
Deli Serdang and Langkat.

Indonesia launched a national movement last month to fight the
deadly spread of HIV/AIDS in the country and pledged some Rp 200
billion annually for the campaign and a concerted effort to
reduce the cost of high-priced, imported life-saving drugs.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said at the launch of the
campaign that the government had reached a consensus on efforts
to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS, which included the crucial
measure of importing badly needed ingredients for AIDS drug
cocktails.

Official data reveals that HIV/AIDS has led to the deaths of
some 2,880 people in Indonesia,

HIV/AIDS-related illnesses often go undetected, with some
estimates of the numbers infected being over 80,000.