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.