RI reports 34 more cases of HIV carriers

RI reports 34 more cases of HIV carriers

JAKARTA (JP): Thirty-four more people have reportedly tested
positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) over the past
three months, bringing the total to 346 as at the end of last
month.

However, State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono,
disclosing the latest official HIV figures yesterday, said he
thought the actual number of people carrying the virus is far
higher.

"I believe that the real number of cases is a lot higher than
that given by our data, which is based on reported cases,"
Haryono, who is also the chairman of the National Family Planning
Board, told a seminar on AIDS prevention in Indonesia.

"Some people who may have been infected with AIDS do not want
to go to the doctor to be examined," he said.

At the last official count in June, there were 312 people with
HIV.

On a more positive note, Haryono said the recently-opened AIDS
telephone hot line -- courtesy of the family planning board and
the state-owned telecommunications firm, PT Telkom -- has shown
encouraging results, with more and more people dialing 163 for
free information and counseling about the disease.

"Although some people are reluctant to be examined, at least
they are willing to seek information about AIDS," he said.

The 24-hour hot line service, launched in June, also provides
a pre-recorded message with general information about both AIDS
and HIV; including how its is transmitted, what preventive
measures should be taken, how to respond if symptoms are detected
and how to react if a member of the family is infected with the
illness.

He said that, among the callers, there had been people who
indicated that they might have contracted the virus. But the
majority of callers simply wanted information on AIDS; in
particular, on how it is transmitted, he said.

A large number of callers are students, Haryono added.

The chairman of the National Commission for the Prevention of
AIDS, Azwar Anas, said in his keynote address to the seminar that
AIDS or HIV cases have been found in 15 out of 27 Indonesian
provinces.

Jakarta tops the list with 112 HIV-positive cases, followed by
Irian Jaya with 90 and Bali with 44, said Azwar, who is also the
coordinating minister of people's welfare.

Provinces that do not have a single reported AIDS or HIV case
are Aceh, Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, South Kalimantan, Central
Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, East Timor and all four provinces
in Sulawesi.

Although the number of AIDS cases reported in Indonesia is
relatively small compared with a number of countries in Asia,
Anwar said an international meeting on AIDS in Yokohama, Japan,
last August had viewed Indonesia as "vulnerable" to the spread of
the virus.

Experts have predicted that, unless steps are taken to stop
the spread of the disease, 2.5 million people in Indonesia will
be infected with HIV in the year 2000, Anwar said. The annual
cost of treating them will be US$16 billion, he added. (31)