HIV/AIDS cases hike to 18 in Samarinda

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