Most HIV/AIDS cases identified too late: Survey
Most HIV/AIDS cases identified too late: Survey
JAKARTA (JP): A 1990 to 1996 survey shows that most cases of
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) here are identified in the later stages, a
physician said yesterday.
Zubairi Djoerban, chairman of the health non-governmental
organization Pelita Ilmu, said this was due to medical
personnel's poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS, including how to diagnose
and prevent it.
"Most cases are detected after a patient had been in several
hospitals," he said at a five-day training on HIV/AIDS treatment
for medical staff.
The study was conducted by Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital's HIV/AIDS service. It looked at six hospitals between
1990 to 1996. Zubairi is involved with the service.
Medical personnel should know the clinical symptoms and
infections related to the condition, he said.
This knowledge is also important so medical personnel can
protect themselves while treating patients, he said.
He told medical personnel to take general precautions against
HIV in the work place.
Medical staff without proper knowledge of HIV/AIDS could be
infected with the condition and transmit it, he said.
"Facts show medical personnel here still lack knowledge of
HIV/AIDS. This is one reason for the training," he said.
So far there have been no reports of medical personnel being
infected during the course of their contact with HIV/AIDS
patients, he said.
But there have been some cases in the United States, he said.
"Although medical personnel do not have a high-risk of
contracting HIV, they should work cautiously while treating
patients with HIV or full-blown AIDS," he said.
Poor knowledge has also led to discrimination against HIV/AIDS
patients, as has been reported.
AIDS renders the body's immune system unable to resist
invasion by microorganisms that cause serious infection.
HIV, which leads to AIDS, is commonly transmitted through
sexual intercourse, blood transfusion and from mother to child
during pregnancy and delivery, he told the workshop in Bekasi,
West Java.
The latest official figures record 524 HIV/AIDS cases in
Indonesia, including 74 people who have died.
Jakarta has 164 reported cases. These include one AIDS and one
HIV case found in March. Prior to this, official statistics
recorded 61 AIDS cases and 101 HIV cases in the city.
The foundation said the last seven reported HIV/AIDS cases
were found in Jakarta, Bali and North Sumatra. (03)