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)
Hotline -- Page 3
Editorial -- Page 4
WHO -- Page 11