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.