U.S., Indonesia fight HIV/AIDS

U.S., Indonesia fight HIV/AIDS

Lynn B. Pascoe, Jakarta

AIDS Day is Dec. 1. The people of the United States, through
President George W. Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, are
privileged to be a partner with the people of Indonesia in
building a future free from AIDS.

This year's World AIDS Day observance focuses on women and
girls. In Indonesia, 23 percent of the estimated 90-130,000 HIV-
positive people are women. In Papua, 50 percent of the estimated
14,000 infected Papuans are women. In Timika, more housewives are
infected than female commercial sex workers.

Even when not infected themselves, women end up caring for the
sick and orphans, putting their livelihoods at risk. Many girls
become heads of households while still children, limiting their
potential. Women pass HIV to their children through pregnancy and
childbirth

HIV is spreading rapidly in Indonesia among sub-populations
with high-risk behavior, mainly through the channels of
commercial sex and injecting drug use. Drug injection was little
known in Indonesia until the mid 1990s. But the situation is
changing. In 2004, the government estimates that there are up to
150,000 drug injectors nationwide, most of them young men and as
many as 50 percent of them infected with HIV (up from zero in
1997).

Practices such as injecting drug use, multiple concurrent sex
partners and sex trafficking fuel the spread of the virus, and
require immediate attention. The U.S. government is pleased to be
working with the Indonesian government and civil society
organizations in this early stage to avert the spread of HIV.

Under President Bush's $15 billion Emergency Plan, the
American people are helping the world meet HIV/AIDS challenges.
Over 100 nations receive U.S. assistance under the Emergency
Plan. The plan also has a special focus on 15 nations in Africa,
the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia that collectively have half the
world's infections.

Although Indonesia is fortunately not one of these 15
countries, the U.S. government is committed to helping Indonesia
prevent new infections. Through the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), we will provide $45 million in
HIV/AIDS assistance to Indonesia over the next five years,
including $9 million for prevention and awareness in 2004.

The U.S. plan focuses on preventing new infections, bringing
lifesaving therapy, and caring for those infected and affected by
the disease, including orphans and vulnerable children.
Globally, the American people have invested $2.4 billion in the
fight this year -- more than all other donor governments
combined.

In Indonesia, USAID, through its partner organization, Family
Health International (FHI), is supporting a wide-ranging
prevention program, as well as, care support and treatment for
those infected and affected by HIV. Women receive special
attention on how to protect themselves, where to seek counseling
and testing, and where to find medications for themselves and
their children, if they are infected.

One special focus of the Plan for AIDS Relief is prevention of
mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Worldwide, the U.S. quickly
trained 14,700 health workers and built capacity at over 900
different health care sites to prevent transmission. In
Indonesia, USAID supports prevention of mother-to-child
transmission with access to HIV testing and preventive
medications for those in need in Papua and Riau.

The U.S. also supports behavior change strategies for girls to
protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. USAID's "Aksi STOP AIDS"
program has offered thousands of women throughout 10 provinces
access to information and prevention, and is committed to working
with the Government of Indonesia and non-governmental
organizations to stem the spread of HIV and its negative impacts
on women, girls and their children.

The American people are privileged to be work together with
the people of Indonesia to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS.

The writer is U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Lynn B. Pascoe.