People with HIV/AIDS up by 375

JAKARTA: The number of people with HIV/AIDS increased by 375 during January to June 2002, bringing the total to 2,950 since the first HIV/AIDS case was reported in 1987.

Director General for Communicable Diseases and Environmental Sanitation Umar F. Achmadi said, in a report submitted to Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi, that of the 375 people with HIV/AIDS, 81 were AIDS cases, 63 of which were detected between April and June alone.

All HIV/AIDS cases detected from January and June involved Indonesians.

Umar did not state the reasons for the rise.

He also said the majority of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia involved males, mostly because of the exchange of syringes among drug users. -- Antara