Public urged to join fight against AIDS

Public urged to join fight against AIDS

JAKARTA (JP): "Shared right, shared responsibility", the theme
of this year's International AIDS Day, means everyone should be
involved in the fight against the disease, Minister of Health
Sujudi said.

Sujudi made his remarks in a ceremony marking AIDS Day
yesterday, calling on all people, whether or not affected by the
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, to join the campaign.

"The fight against AIDS can only be effective if it becomes
the right as well as the responsibility of everybody worldwide,"
he said. "The disease is our enemy and we all should fight it
together."

He said everyone has the right to obtain accurate information
on how to avoid AIDS, while those already infected by the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or those with full-blown AIDS have
the right to proper medical care and nondiscriminatory treatment.

In addition, everyone is responsible for protecting themselves
and others from the disease, he said.

"Men, because of their dominant status in society, should be
responsible and practice safe sexual behavior," Sujudi said.

The AIDS Day commemoration at the Ministry of Health was
organized by the ministry and the Ford Foundation. It was
attended by 300 participants, including Martina Wijaja of the
Indonesian AIDS Foundation, representative of the Ford Foundation
Rosalia Sciortino.

During the ceremony, Sujudi attached anti-AIDS stickers to
several cars in front of the Ministry of Health.

Yesterday, Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro launched an anti-AIDS drive for students by handing
over 600,000 stickers to students representing 60 universities in
14 provinces. He also led the students in attaching the stickers
on cars at the ministry office.

Students

He said students should stand in the front line of the anti-
AIDS campaign in the country.

At around the same time yesterday, rectors of the 60
universities also led similar ceremonies and launched the drive
on their individual campuses.

International AIDS Day was commemorated for the first time on
Dec. 1, 1988, something that was agreed upon in a meeting of
health ministers in Paris in the same year. Last year's theme of
the International AIDS Day was AIDS and Family.

Sujudi said the activities leading up to and during AIDS Day
were not meant to glorify the disease. Instead, the day should
serve as a reminder to everybody to strengthen their commitment
to fight the disease, he said.

"Here, we fight the disease, not its sufferers," he said.

A number of activities were held concurrently yesterday, from
seminars, to distribution of anti-AIDS stickers and flyers, to
the establishment of hot line services.

As of October, Indonesia has had 355 reported cases of HIV
infection; of the figure, 86 people have developed full-blown
AIDS and 55 have died.

Out of the recorded cases, 294 people (83 percent) contracted
HIV/AIDS by sexual transmission, eight people (2 percent) by
blood transfusion, and 53 people (15 percent) by unknown causes,
though suspected to also be through sexual transmission, Sujudi
said.

Sujudi also said that 284 people with AIDS, or 80 percent of
the total figure, were between the ages of 20 and 39 years. Five
percent of the cases, or 18 people, were between the ages of 15
and 19 years old, while 29 people (8 percent) were aged between
40 and 49 years old.

The remainder are people from other age groups.

In January, the World Health Organization reported about 19
million HIV/AIDS cases worldwide, mostly in Africa. In the year
2000, it predicted that there will be 30 to 40 million people
infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Commenting on use of condoms to prevent AIDS, Sujudi only said
that the government "cannot tell or order people to use condoms
to prevent the spread of AIDS".

The government had earlier refused to consent to any campaign
which encouraged the use of condoms because of strong objections
from Moslem leaders who viewed such campaigns as encouraging
adultery and prostitution.

The AIDS Day commemoration was highlighted by a pantomime
entitled Free Sex, and a short film about AIDS.

The organizer of the event also announced yesterday the
winners of poster and writing competitions on AIDS for high
school students and the general public.

Student winners of poster drawing competitions were Edo
Ariesta, Restuanda, Joko Setyo Purnomo, Slamet Widado and Margono
Hidayanto. Winners from the public were Nanang Kuswana, T. Budi
S., Bagus Saptaji, Dafit Djahari and Nono Tri Nugroho.

The winners of the writing competition were Ucu Nurhadiat,
Ruth Mose, Putu Sukartini, Kusdiantoro, Diana Wibawa, Een
Andriani, Sicilia Leiwakabessy, Susanti Purnomo, Adila Astiena,
FX Suarif A., Erna Surjadi, Kun Priambodo, Meta Laksmi, Andung
Prihadi, Sri Widada and Aji M.A. Munandar. (31)

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