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)