Involve medical students in anti-AIDS campaign: Expert

Involve medical students in anti-AIDS campaign: Expert

JAKARTA (JP): An Australian expert has proposed that Indonesia
use medical students in its anti-AIDS campaign among school
teachers and students.

Robert V. Short, a professor at the department of physiology
of Monash University in Melbourne, said that medical students are
better able to convince high school students about this matter
than teachers.

Speaking at a seminar on the prevention and spread of HIV/AIDS
yesterday, he said the right way to inform young people about the
deadly disease is by making a model classroom and bringing in
information about AIDS.

The seminar, which took place at the Cipto Mangunkusumo
Central Hospital, was sponsored by the AIDS Special Study Group
of the University of Indonesia.

The number of HIV/AIDS sufferers in Indonesia was registered
at 312 last month, 10 of whom had died. Less than one fifth of
the 312 are foreigners who have since returned to their
respective countries.

Short said he once set up a special class to discuss the
spread of the disease and how to prevent it.

He said the program can be started here with a small class for
teachers to fully inform them about AIDS.

The professor said that young people should be persuaded to
postpone sexual activity. Saying that in the west many girls
became pregnant outside of marriage.

"It will be a disaster if the situation keeps on going," he
said.

"The best sex is no sex until the persons are actually
responsible enough for a commitment," Short said.

He also said that sex education does not encourage people to
have sex earlier. "Instead," he said, "those who have the most
education start sexual activity the latest."

Short said he had already spoken to Minister of Health Sujudi
and reports that the minister is very interesting in his idea.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding condoms here, Short
confirmed that the use of the contraceptive device is 95 to 97
percent effective in stopping the spread of AIDS.

He said if people use condoms carefully and constantly in
their sexual activities, the effort to contain the spread of AIDS
will be extremely effective.

"For most sexually active young people, condoms should be the
contraceptive of first choice," Short added.

He said that distributing the condoms to prostitutes would
only be effective if the distributors teach them not to have sex
with customers who refuse to use the condoms.

"Prostitutes do not want to die," he said. "They will do
anything not to lose their lives."

Short told The Jakarta Post that a medicine, AZT
(Azidothymidine), when given to breast feeding mothers can reduce
the percentage of infected babies but not to cure them.

Short also said breast feeding is still the best answer to the
problem.

Mothers infected with HIV or AIDS should continue breast
feeding their babies, he said.

The only exception, he said, is if they were infected by the
virus through a blood transfusion.

Short also said that the World Health Organization has issued
HIV prevention strategies including social marketing of condoms,
treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, information and
education in schools and in mass media, and the promotion of
condoms among prostitutes and their clients.(05)