Five sex workers contract HIV

Five sex workers contract HIV

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Five sex workers at the KM-17 and Manggar Sari red-light areas in Balikpapan have been infected with HIV, said Sugiarto, an activist with the advocacy group Fokker.

The five women have since returned to their hometowns.

Sugiarto added that the five sex workers had previously often moved from one pub to another before settling down in KM-17 and Manggar Sari.

He believed that the number of sex workers infected with HIV was rising rapidly in the province.

"It's like the tip of an iceberg. Those we know about are only a small fraction of the real number," he added.

He estimated that the number of sex workers living in the two red-light areas amounted to around 900 women.

Sugiarto regretted that the local health office had not been providing tests for local sex workers. -- Antara