Eradication of hepatitis in Indonesia 'not simple'
Eradication of hepatitis in Indonesia 'not simple'
JAKARTA (JP): Although a lot of research has been conducted,
eradication of hepatitis in Indonesia will not be an easy task
and will take a long time, according to one expert.
Pratiwi Sudharmono, head of the Microbiology Department of the
University of Indonesia Medical School, said over the weekend
that clinical research had been conducted at the school, the
hepatitis laboratory in Mataram, Lombok, and also at the Ministry
of Health, but that they had found that the problem was not
simple.
Presenting a scientific paper, Pratiwi applauded the work of
the state-owned pharmaceutical company in Bandung, Biofarma,
which produces hepatitis B vaccine.
"The operations (of the company) have helped supply medicine
for the much needed vaccination of about one-and-a-half million
babies here every year," she said.
She said that the figure would be higher if it included
adults, including paramedics, who bear a high risk of being
infected with the disease.
The paper, entitled "Virology, the Challenge of Medical
Science and Technology in the Future," was presented at the 15th
Medika Awards, held by Medika, a pharmaceutical and medical
journal.
Touching on the AIDS problem, Pratiwi said the University of
Indonesia Medical School and the Jakarta Cipto Mangunkusumo
hospital had set up a special study group on AIDS involving
several experts in an effort to anticipate the spread of the
deadly disease.
"Preventing the disease is the only way to decrease the AIDS
incidence in the whole world. In the United States the number of
the people affected by AIDS is decreasing, but in developing
countries, like Indonesia, it is tending to increase," she said.
Kartono Mohamad, Medika chief editor, presented awards to
doctors whose articles and research had been published by Medika.
Only the writings of those who work in public health centers and
laboratories were eligible.
The first prize to Public Health Center staff went to Dwiana
Ocvianti, who worked at a public health center in a remote
southern Sumatran district, for her article entitled
"Identification of High-Risk Pregnancies Using Monitoring Health
Cards for Pregnant Women."
Second prize went to B.T. Ruddy P, Lanny Setiawan, Reginald
Hutabarat, Sudjito and Sukwan Handali for their joint paper
entitled "Hypertension in the Irian Jaya Hinterland."
Third prize was awarded to Damiana Rachmi Ken Nirmalawati for
her paper entitled "The Prevalence of Worm Disease Among
Elementary School Pupils in Padang Harapan District, Bengkulu."
The writer was killed in a traffic accident in the area last
year.
The first prize for laboratory research was Arjatmo
Tjokronegoro for his article "Antibody Antisperm Against
Spermatozoa: Its Possibility as a Method of Contraception."
Second laboratory research prize went to Eddy Rubianto
Moeljono, Retno Budiati Farid, Shelley Jubhari and A. Latief
Tjokke from Ujungpandang University for their joint article "Some
Acceptance Characteristics of Cyclofem and HRP 102."
Third prize went to Efo Suarmiartha, Tangking Widarsa and
Supriyadi from Denpasar University for their article "Sexual
Behavior Which Results in the Spread of AIDS Among Truck Drivers
Plying the Denpasar-Surabaya Route."
There were no winners this year in the library research
category because none of the 40 articles published in Medika met
with the prerequisites.
Medika's first prize for best commercial program went to Roxan
of PT Hoechst Pharma Indonesia, followed by Zocor of PT Cetapharm
and Terumo of Terumo Corporation.
Kartono said that Medika would summarize the articles it has
published for local newspapers in an effort to popularize the
development of science and technology in Indonesia. (05)