HIV in Riau reaches alarming levels

HIV in Riau reaches alarming levels

Haidir Anwar Tanjung
and Fadli
The Jakarta Post
Pekanbaru/Batam

Batam was rocked by the news in July 2002 that two residents with
AIDS died in separate places on the tourist island.

A 36-year-old who came from Kendal, Central Java, was found
dead at Sekupang Seaport and a 39-year-old resident of Kampong
Dalam, died of AIDS-related diseases at Batam Authority General
Hospital.

The two deceased number among 20 who have died of AIDS-related
diseases on the island over the last ten years. The total number
of people with AIDS is 21. The number of people reckoned to be
HIV-positive has reached 97, which includes the 21.

Besides Batam, Tanjung Balai Karimun is also known as an area
where HIV/AIDS has spread in Riau province. It has been
developing its tourism industry to attract tourists from the
neighboring countries of Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

There is no accurate data on the number of people with
HIV/AIDS in the regency but local authorities reckon the figure
is similar to Batam's.

According to data at the local health office, the total number
of people with HIV/AIDS in the province has reached 216 and the
number of deceased 28. The government-run general hospital in
Pekanbaru has noted that 10 of the 216 were injecting drug users
and four of them have already died.

Chief of the social affairs office in Batam Nor Arifin said
recently the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS on the island had a lot
to do with misconceptions about the expansion of tourism there.

"It is a fact that most hotels and entertainment centers on
the island offer sex workers to attract foreign tourists. HIV and
AIDS could turn out to be a disaster unless local authorities
take tough measures against prostitution and gambling," he said,
citing that many people from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand
visited the island not for bona fide tourism but for gambling and
sex.

Evianora Azwar, a specialist at the Kimia Pharma clinic in
Batu Aji, Batam, said besides HIV/AIDS, the prevalence of other
diseases transferred through sexual activity was also high. She
cited as examples gonorrhea, non-gonococcal urethritis, chancroid
and herpes.

She stated she served an average of 50 patients per month who
had genital diseases, including HIV/AIDS, every month.

"Most of the patients are employed in dockyards, hotels and
entertainment centers on the island," she said.

She warned that such diseases could be a disaster on the
island unless the government took immediate tough action to curb
widespread prostitution.

Batam has at least 34 karaoke and massage centers providing
sex workers at a cost of Rp 200,000 to Rp 500,000.

Chief of the Riau health office Zainal Abidin urged provincial
authorities to take immediate measures and launch an AIDS
awareness campaign especially in Karimun and Batam to reduce the
high incidence of HIV/AIDS.

"Authorities should also expel all sex workers from the
province and send them to their hometowns in Java, Sumatra and
West Nusa Tenggara," he said.

He said the province was second only to Papua in the national
ranking for the spread of HIV/AIDS.