Indonesia has 100,000 HIV positive in 1995, official says

Indonesia has 100,000 HIV positive in 1995, official says

JAKARTA (JP): The real number of people who have the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Indonesia could reach as high as
100,000 next year, rising to 510,000 in 2000 and 1.15 million by
2005, according to a Health Ministry official.

Soewarta Kosen of the ministry's Research and Development
Agency said that the projections for 2000 and 2005 could still be
lowered if Indonesia took immediate actions now to stem the
spread of the virus which causes the fatal Acquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

So far, only 258 people in Indonesia have tested positive for
HIV but officials said that the actual number is far higher.

Soewarta was giving the projection of the AIDS/HIV figures in
Indonesia for the year 1995-2005 at the Seventh Conference of the
Federation of World Public Health Associations in Nusa Dua, Bali
which wound up yesterday.

He painted a bleak picture for Indonesia even with a
comprehensive and effective intervention, saying that this would
still give a figure of 400,000 for 2000 and 600,000 for 2005.

Later, he told Antara that there was still time for Indonesia
to act and prevent the massive spread of AIDS like that occurred
in neighboring Thailand.

Soewarta said any campaign should be aimed at making people
aware of the risks of visiting brothels, or of the need to use
condoms.

The campaign to condoms has not been carried out in the open
because of various considerations, but it is something important
to prevent the spread of AIDS, he said.

In anti-AIDS campaign should be targeted at all layers of
society. "Even those in the top layer, the so-called educated
elite, need to be informed." (emb)