Three men flee with HIV

Three men flee with HIV

SEMARANG, Central Java: Health officials have lost track of three of five people known to be carrying the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Head of the Central Java office of the Ministry of Health, Djaka Handaja, said yesterday the men may have moved to other provinces and could be spreading the deadly virus there.

"I have alerted health offices in Jakarta, West Java and East Java for the sake of coordination and monitoring," Djaka was quoted by Antara as saying.

He speculated that the three men may have left their home towns because the mass media published their names.

According to official statistics, 283 people have tested positive for HIV in Indonesia.

Jakarta ranks first, with 94 carriers, followed by Irian Jaya, with 67, Bali, with 32, East Java, with 26, and Riau, with 24. (imn)