Four areas cautioned of possible spread of AIDS

JAKARTA (JP): The ministry of health has put Jakarta, Merauke in Irian Jaya, the Riau islands and Southeast Maluku under close scrutiny due to a possible drastic growth of the Acquired Immuno- Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Speaking at the opening of a national work meeting here on Wednesday, health minister Achmad Sujudi said the spread of the disease in the four areas had reached an advanced stage.

The ministry recorded that as of October last year, 1,005 people were infected with the Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) which leads to the deadly condition and 265 of them had full- blown AIDS. Many believe the actual number could quintuple the existing government data.

Separately, the Director General of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Health, Umar Fahmi, told The Jakarta Post that the four areas had an advanced infection pattern.

"The disease has spread extraordinarily in the areas through the use of needles, based on the fact that 10 percent of the AIDS carriers are drug abusers," Umar said.

AIDS normally spreads through sexual intercourse.

Umar said the capital was prone to the disease because of changes in people's lifestyles and culture.

"Some people in the capital engage in high-risk sexual practices," he said.

The other three areas, known as mining and transit sites, are vulnerable to AIDS because of the high mobility of people and the rise in sex services, he added.

Achmad remarked that in Indonesia, the AIDS epidemic was caused by the lack of public awareness of condoms and rampant narcotics abuse.

"The fact that Indonesia is surrounded by countries with large numbers of HIV and AIDS carriers such as India, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea also adds to the susceptibility," he said.

He said one of the problems in detecting the condition was the inadequate equipment and materials used to carry out blood tests. The ministry, he added, intended to make sure all regency-level hospitals were capable of detecting the virus.

Besides HIV and AIDS, Achmad said the ministry was watching over other contagious diseases, namely malaria, dengue fever and tuberculosis. (04)