Injecting drug users mostly educated, survey reveals

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta

More than 70 percent of injecting drug users (IDU) are young adults, aged between 15 years and 29 years old, a survey says.

Conducted by the Center for Harm Reduction, the recent survey also revealed that more than 60 percent of injecting drug users interviewed had at least graduated from high school.

Baby Jim Aditya of the Human Participation (Partisan) non- governmental organization, which works to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, said on Wednesday, the results suggested the country faced a grave threat if no radical preventive measures were taken to combat the spread of HIV among injecting drug users.

"Providing information on the danger of HIV/AIDS alone is not enough. We need to do more," she said.

The Ministry of Health estimates the number of injecting drug users at between 124,000 to 169,000, with more than a third of them HIV positive. However, the number of injecting drug users is increasing rapidly.

The number of reported HIV infections in the country since 1987 stands at 4,389, 1,525 have presented symptoms of an AIDS- defining illness, such as opportunistic infection. Of that number, 519 people have reportedly died of AIDS-related illnesses.

While the ministry acknowledges that many more people are likely living with HIV/AIDS in the country, its official estimate stands at between 80,000 and 130,000.

Baby Jim suggested that the government include information on HIV/AIDS in the national education curriculum, saying it would be more effective than sporadic campaigns.

"When you share information for just one or two hours, the students will not remember it for long. But, if the information is constantly provided, students will be reminded over and over again of the dangers of drug use,

"It tells us that we need to provide youths with life skills, to enable them to say no to drugs, otherwise it's all just theoretical," Baby Jim said.

She called on society as a whole to take part in the move against drugs.

"The police need to cut the supply, parents and teachers need to provide information on the risks, and the government and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) need to harmoniously work on the harm reduction program," said Baby Jim.

The government launched last week a pilot harm reduction that will provide sterile disposable needles to injecting drug users, as well as methadone and buprenorphine for heroin users.

The pilot project, which will run for three years, will involve the police, local health offices, research centers and selected NGOs.