Let the numbers speak

Let the numbers speak

* Of addicts entering Yakita, on average 80 percent are IV drug
users. Some of the viruses transmitted intravenously are HBV
(hepatitis B), HCV (hepatitis C) and HIV.
* Up to 1997, HIV prevalence in IV drug users was around zero
percent, but it has grown steadily since then. The Drug Addiction
Hospital (RSKO) recorded that in 2001, 48 percent of IV drug
users admitted to its facility tested positive for HIV. Yakita's
statistics show that of all people treated there since 1999, 69
percent were infected with HCV, while 20 percent were HIV
positive.
* In Indonesia, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS is
estimated to be between 80,000 and 130,000. The Ministry of
Health predicts that sharing needles will account for 38 percent
of future HIV transmission. The government is preparing a harm
reduction program that will provide clean disposable needles and
methadone treatment.

-- JP