HIV cases rife in East Java

SURABAYA: Eighty two people in East Java have been infected with the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) in the past year, Deputy Governor for People's Welfare Imam Soepardi said on Saturday.

"Of the HIV carriers, 10 of them have died from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and another 18 have been diagnosed as having full-blown AIDS," Imam said as quoted by Antara.

According to Imam, the number of HIV cases detected was almost a 50 percent increase on the figure in April, when his office reported 58 people infected.

Most of the HIV carriers were prostitutes and migrant people, he said.

The virus, which attacks the immune system, is mostly spread through sexual intercourse. (04)