Police, TNI personal infected with AIDS

JAKARTA: An undisclosed number of police and Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel are either battling full-blown acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or have been infected with HIV that could develop into AIDS, an official from the ministry of health said on Tuesday.

"I cannot give you the number of officers battling this disease. Most of those who have got it have taken their tours of duty abroad, including in Thailand and Cambodia, where the epidemic is really going strong," Tito Sulastito told reporters on the sidelines of a health ministry-sponsored program in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The awareness program was held to educate the TNI and National Police on prevention against sexually-transmitted diseases, Detik.com reported.

The best preventive measure one could take against such diseases was either "abstinence, or using a condom," Tito said.