Men uncomfortable with condoms

JAKARTA: Most Indonesian males are familiar with condoms but are unaware of what they are for, hampering the nationwide fight against HIV/AIDS, a health official said on Friday.

Quoting a recent survey, Director General of Communicable Diseases Umar Fahmi told a press briefing here that only 22 percent of Indonesian men complied with the government's call for a safe sex, which suggests the use of condoms.

"Higher education does not guarantee proper behavior. Therefore the time has come to campaign for behavioral changes among high-risk males," Umar said.

Data released by the Ministry of Health in April showed that 79 percent of people with AIDS were males and 77 percent of cases were a result of unsafe sex.

There were 2,876 cases of HIV/AIDS reported in the country between 1987 and March 2002, with the actual number feared to have reached between 80,000 and 120,000.

Fahmi suggested that Indonesia follow Thailand's example, which saw the number of HIV/AIDS cases drop following an intensive campaign for the use of condoms. -- Antara