HIV/AIDS cases hike to 18 in Samarinda

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Chairman of local chapter of the AIDS controlling agency, Waris Husain, revealed that the victims of HIV/AIDS here has increased to 18 people from the last year's 17 cases.

Waris said that most of the cases were found at the red-light areas or masseur parlors since the virus, which attacks human's immunity, can easily be contracted through unsafe sexual intercourse.

"Other factors to the increase are: the increasing of population coming from the migrants as the excess of the industry growth here and the better transportation which enhance people's flow here in and out the borders to the Phillipines, Thailand and Malaysia," he argued as quoted by Antara.

He also said that free sex among the teenagers and the use of unsterile syringes by drug users and the medical practitioners are also contributes to the spread of the virus.

The local administration and the non-governmental organizations have taken preventions by disseminating information on the important use of condom during sexual intercourse straight to the "hotspots" and to the people through mass media. --Antara