People with HIV/AIDS fight to go on living
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta
It was not until two years ago that Nia (not her real name), a 36-year-old mother of two, discovered that she and her son had contracted HIV.
"I decided to take the test two months after my husband was diagnosed with AIDS, as my doctor told me that, as I was his wife, I was susceptible to the virus. The result came back positive," said Nia.
At first, she said, she was taken aback. Yet, her shock grew when she learned that her second child, a two-year-old boy, had contracted the lethal virus.
"I didn't have the slightest idea as to how my son got infected, but I guessed it was through breast-feeding," she said.
Life appeared even more unfair to Nia when a year later, she was forced to leave her job of 10 years because her colleagues were afraid they would contract the virus.
With no means of income and two children to feed, she decided to cut down on living costs and moved in with her mother. She also began volunteering as an HIV/AIDS counselor at a hospital in West Jakarta.
"I receive around Rp 500,000 (US$53.20) per month for transportation," she said.
She also helped in her mother's catering business and used the money to buy daily needs and antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her son.
Nia's experience shows that HIV/AIDS is nondiscriminatory, and affects people of all ages.
Along with Nia and her son, Ministry of Health data shows that from 1987 to 2003, 3,924 people were living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 428 have died from HIV/AIDS-related complications.
While the government is aware these figures reflect only recorded cases and the actual number is likely to be much higher, experts and activists estimate the number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to between 80,000 and 130,000.
A report published by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the number of PLWHA around the world continues to grow, from 35 million in 2001 to 38 million in 2003.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Tuesday that with the rising HIV infection rate, about 18.4 million children worldwide would have lost at least one parent by 2010.
In the case of Nia's son, he lost his father in September 2002.
Dino (not his real name), an injecting drugs user (IDU), is also living with HIV after he tested positive three years ago.
The 21-year-old contracted the virus through needle sharing.
Half of an estimated 124,000 to 169,000 IDUs nationwide are HIV-positive, according to health ministry data.
A UNAIDS country report issued earlier said HIV prevalence among IDUs in Indonesia had increased threefold to 48 percent in 2003 from 16 percent in 1999.
The report also said six of the country's 32 provinces -- Riau, West Java, Jakarta, East Java, Bali and Papua -- were badly affected by HIV/AIDS.
"If I may, I'd like to advise people to practice safe sex, always use condoms and stay away from drugs -- otherwise, you'll end up with the virus," said Nia.