Ulemas join fight against AIDS

Ulemas join fight against AIDS

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: Ulemas in the Moslem-dominated province of
Aceh are joining the fight against Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) through their Friday prayer sermons, Antara
reported yesterday.

"Hopefully, the Friday sermons will help alert Moslem youths
about the dangers of (unsafe) sex practices," the news agency
quoted H. Zainuddin A.G., the vice governor of Aceh, as saying.

In a written statement delivered by a staff member, Zainuddin
called on local Moslem youths to follow religious teaching. He
made the call during a discussion on AIDS here Saturday.

According to the Ministry of Health, as of July 1997, a total
of 558 cases of AIDS or its cause, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV), have been reported in 22 provinces in Indonesia.

Most cases were detected in Jakarta, followed by Irian Jaya,
Bali, West Java, East Java and Batam (Riau). Aceh has one person
infected with HIV. (swe)