SE Asian countries seek common strategy in fighting HIV/AIDS, TB
SE Asian countries seek common strategy in fighting HIV/AIDS, TB
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ten Southeast Asian countries are seeking a common strategy in
their fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria which have cost
billions of U.S. dollars in financial losses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Jakarta office said on
Sunday that health ministers and senior health officials from
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, India, Maldives,
Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand will start their 20th
Health Ministers Meeting in Jakarta on Monday to find a common
strategy in fighting HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.
Newly independent East Timor will attend as an observer in the
meeting, scheduled to be opened by Vice President Hamzah Haz at
the vice presidential palace.
The meeting will also look into the Millennium Development
Goals adopted by United Nations member states as benchmarks to
measure development progress.
Included in the targets for 2015 are halving the proportion of
people suffering from hunger, reducing infant and under-five
mortality rates by two-thirds, cutting the maternal mortality
rate by three-quarters, providing access to affordable essential
drugs in developing countries and halving the number of people
without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
The meeting is particularly important for Indonesia as it
shares many of the health concerns to be discussed in the event.
An estimated 80,000 to 120,000 Indonesians were living with
HIV/AIDS at the end of 2001 with a loss of earnings of US$39,670
from each person who dies from HIV/AIDS.
"Given the current number of cases in Indonesia, this
translates to more than US$8 billion in losses to the economy
within the few years," WHO said in a media statement.
In addition, the estimated number of Indonesian children
orphaned due to HIV/AIDS increased tenfold between 1999 and 2001.
In the year 2000 alone, approximately 682 Indonesian children
under five years old died every day -- largely from preventable
causes.
Although Indonesia has made remarkable progress, child
mortality and infant mortality remains at 51 and 41 per 1,000
live births respectively.
The health ministers meeting precedes the 55th Session of the
WHO Regional Committee for Southeast Asia Region scheduled from
Sept. 11 to Sept. 13.