'We shouldn't worry about it'

'We shouldn't worry about it'

People living with HIV/AIDS often come up against discrimination
rather than understanding. With an estimated figure of between
80,000 and 130,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, and
that figure continuing to grow, it is time for the public to
acknowledge the real face of the virus. In commemorating World
AIDS Day, which falls on Dec. 1, The Jakarta Post asked some
citizens to think about the issue and respond.

Askari, 35, supervises the food and beverages division of a
hotel in Slipi, West Jakarta. He lives with his parents in
Condet, East Jakarta:

I work in a hotel. I have to interact with numerous guests of
different backgrounds on a daily basis. It is possible that one
of them is infected with the virus. However, since I know exactly
how HIV is transmitted from one individual to another, I have
nothing to worry about.
If I friend or a relative became HIV positive, I would pray for
them and treat them just the same as I did before.

Unless we share a needle or sleep with an HIV positive person,
we don't have any reason to worry, right?

Bertha, 24, is an employee of PT Jamsostek on Jl. Gatot
Subroto, South Jakarta. She lives with her parents in Manggarai,
also in South Jakarta:

Honestly, I don't know much about HIV/AIDS, and I wouldn't
know what to do if one of my friends or relatives tested
positive. I know that HIV doesn't spread through the air or food.
So, I guess I would try to treat him or her as usual.

Although I have been told that it is safe to be close to
people living with HIV/AIDS, I am still worried that very close
contact could endanger me. If one of my close friends or
relatives was infected with the virus, nothing would be the same
again -- no matter how hard I tried to treat them normally.

If my friend was HIV positive, I would learn more about it to
anticipate the consequences, and to enable myself to deal with
the situation without hurting their feelings.

-- The Jakarta Post