Govt reveals 18 more HIV/AIDS cases found

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health has said that 18 more people had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS up to May 31, bringing the number of reported cases to 545.

Four hundred and thirteen of them were HIV carriers and 132 had full-blown AIDS.

The ministry's Directorate General for the Prevention of Communicable Diseases revealed recently that five HIV and two AIDS carriers had been detected in Jakarta, seven HIV and two AIDS carriers in Irian Jaya, and one HIV case in both Central Java and South Kalimantan.

The 132 reported AIDS cases were in 21 provinces: 64 in Jakarta; 28 in Irian Jaya; 13 in Bali; 11 in West Java; six in East Java; two in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta, West Nusa Tenggara, and North Sumatra; and one in both North Sulawesi and South Sumatra.

There were no AIDS-related deaths reported in the provinces of Yogyakarta, Riau, Maluku, West, South and East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, West Sumatra, East and West Nusa Tenggara, East Timor and Aceh.

Out of 75 deaths related to AIDS, 36 occurred in Jakarta, 14 in Irian Jaya, eight in West Java, six in each of East Java and Bali, two in North Sumatra, one in Central Java, North Sulawesi and South Sumatra.

Eight HIV and three AIDS carriers were men while six HIV and one AIDS carrier were women, the ministry said.

One HIV carrier was between the ages of 15 and 19, while there were four HIV carriers between 20 and 29, five HIV and two AIDS carriers between 30 and 39 and four HIV and two AIDS carriers between 40 and 49.

Ten heterosexuals were reported to be HIV carriers and two AIDS carriers, while two people with AIDS were homosexuals.

Thirteen Indonesians were reported to be HIV positive and three had AIDS, while one foreigner was HIV positive and another had AIDS.

The Ministry of Health received on Thursday AIDS detection equipment to help local doctors observe the immunity levels of HIV/AIDS carriers. Called FACSCOUNT, the machine was a gift from Singapore-based company Becton Dickinson, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Minister of Health Sujudi accepted the donation from the company's Southeast Asia vice president, Freddie Lee. The event was witnessed by corporate vice president Mark C. Throdahl.

Becton Dickinson's cooperation with the ministry also includes a social awareness program using posters and banners in Bekasi, support of the national immunization drive in which the company donated one million syringes and tetanus toxoid vaccines for women of child-bearing age in 1995, and publication of health manuals in 1996.

The ministry said that during this year's immunization drive, the company plans to provide 100,000 tetanus toxoid long-life cards for women of child-bearing age to monitor their tetanus immunity levels. (01)