INDONESIA INTENSIFIES EFFORTS TO FIGHT AIDS

By Andi Abdussalam


        Jakarta, Nov 30 (ANTARA) - As HIV/AIDS cases continue to increase in Indonesia, the government on Monday renewed efforts to fight the infectious disease as part of the activities carried out to observe World AIDS Day, December 1.

        The Health Ministry, the National AIDS Commission (KPA), the Family Planning Coordinating Agency (BKKBN) and a number of condom producing companies signed an agreement to fight HIV/AIDS.

        Official records mentioned that there are now 298,000 HIV/AIDS sufferers in Indonesia, but the real figures may be much higher than official figures, which is often described as the tip of the iceberg.

        Even though the number of new cases in the country continues to increase, the government is optimistic it could be offset with a serious effort and close cooperation with various agencies and the people as a whole.

        Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono said he was optimistic the government would be able to minimize HIV/AIDS infection by 1.2 million people in 2015. "Before 2015, with the government efforts we hope we can minimize the HIV/AIDS infection by up to 1.2 million people, he said when launching a National Condom Week (PKN) here on Monday.

        He said that among the efforts carried out by the government to prevent the spread of the contagious disease was to engage in sustainable partnership cooperation through a national movement for creating healthy people, away from the HIV/AIDS threat.

        The efforts also included promotional and preventive measures through the PKN activities where people were informed about how to use condoms as a means of minimizing the spread of HIV. The government also launched curative approaches through conducting medicinal treatment and research on advanced HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia.

        Agung Laksono called for regional governments' commitment to supporting the steps taken by the central government to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

        Secretary of the National AIDS Commission (KPA) Secretary Nafsiah Mboi said KPA in cooperation with its branches in provinces and districts supported the government's efforts to prevent the spread of the disease which has shown signs of increasing.

        "We support the government efforts to fight AIDS in an effort to achieve the sixth aim of the Millennium Development Goals, namely increasing the people's health standard through reduction of HIV/AIDS infection cases," she said

        The government admitted that cases of new contraction continued to increase. "About 298,000 people in Indonesia are now suffering from HIV/AIDS," Agung Laksono said, Agung, who is also chairman of the National AIDS Commission (KPA), made the remarks when he opened the National Condom Week at the University of Indonesia.

        Based on data at the Ministry of Health, up to September 2009, a total of 18,422 AIDS carriers were recorded in Indonesia. At present almost all provinces in Indonesia have AIDS cases. AIDS cases are to be found in more than half of the number of districts in the country.

        About 49.57 percent of AIDS cases involved people in the 20-29 years age group, 29.84 percent in the 30-39 years age group and 8.71 percent occurred in the 40-49 years age group. The average HIV/AIDS incidence in Indonesia is 8.15 carriers in every 100,000 people.

        The highest number of cases occurred in five provinces, namely Papua 17.9 percent of the national figure, Bali 5.3 percent, Jakarta 3.8 percent, Riau Islands 3.4 percent and West Kalimantan 2.2 percent of the overall number in the country.

        This fact means there is a serious threat to the existence of the present younger generation in the country. Therefore, the government and the non-governmental organizations, higher educational institutions and the people as a whole should cooperate actively in launching a national movement for making people healthy and knowledgeable for preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

        According to 2008 estimates by UNAIDS, the HIV epidemic in Indonesia is among the fastest growing in Asia. The epidemic is concentrated primarily among injection drug users (IDUs) and their sexual partners, people engaged in commercial sex and their clients, and men who have sex with men.

        The signing of the agreement is among the efforts being made to fight the spread of the disease. After all, it was done during the launching of a National Condom Week (PKN) organized in connection with World AIDS Day on December 1.

        On the occasion, Agung Laksono said that the Ministry of Health put an estimate that figure of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia up to this year had reached 289,000 carriers.

        "This estimate will continue to increase because it is predicted that about 5 people are infected with the virus every one minute," he said.

        He said that in order to overcome the problem the government had launched preventive and curative approaches. "Socialization and campaign are carried out through the PKN with the high-risk groups such as those who often make sexual contact as the main targets," he said.

        In the meantime, the Indonesian HIV Carriers Network (JHOTI) said HIV/AIDS carriers in Indonesia are still facing discrimination. "The problems they face is individual discrimination as well as discriminatory policies," Chairman of JHOTI for East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Maxi Mitan said.

        He said that the voices of the infected people had not yet been maximally heard in formulating efforts to control the disease so that HIV/AIDS cases continued to expand in the country. Even, carriers still faced problems with obtaining access to health services, a fact that their rights were still ignored.

        The voices of the infected persons could only be heard if they were united. Only with a united voice could sufferers strengthen their bargaining position against policy makers, Mitan said.

        This idea has given birth to the JHOTI body. "The establishment of this body was declared in the first congress of HIV/AIDS carriers in Jakarta on July 8, 2008," Mitan said.***3*** (T.A014/H-NG/H-YH) (T.A014/A/A014/A/H-YH) 30-11-2009 22:41:02

HIV/AIDS CASES IN RI BELIEVED TO FAR EXCEED OFFICIAL FIGURES

By Andi Abdussalam
     Jakarta, June 23 (ANTARA) - Indonesia is one of the countries where the number of HIV cases is growing fast while the figure for Asia is actually declining.
     According to National AIDS Commission (KPA) Secretary Dr Nafsiah Mboi, up to March 2008, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has been recorded at 17,998. About 10 percent of the patients are HIV carriers while the remaining 90 percent are patients on the verge of developing full-blown AIDS.
     The KPA's figures are on detected carriers and based on medical reports on people who underwent medical examinations. The real number of HIV/AIDS carriers in Indonesia is believed to be far higher.
     The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has continued to increase while it is estimated the disease will infect 400,000 and kill 100,000 people in 2010, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said last week.
     "Without adequate intervention, the virus will by 2015 have infected one million people, killed 350,000 and infected 38,500 children," he said.
     There is even a prediction that HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia have reached 500,000. Sociologist Dr Boyke Dian Nugraha said in Pangkalpinang, Sumatra, last week, that he had data which showed that in 2008 the number of HIV/AIDS had reached 500,000.
     "The 500,000 HIV/AIDS carriers in Indonesia exceed the number of HIV/AIDS patients in other neighboring countries such as Thailand,"  Dr. Boyke Dian Nugraha said over the weekend.
     The fast increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has led the world to plan an international AIDS congress in the country. The Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali is scheduled to host the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) on August 9-13, 2009.
     "The congress will take place under the auspices of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific. About 500 delegates from 50 countries are expected to take part in the congress," chairman of the meeting's organizing committee Prof. Zubairi Djoerban said.
      To be themed: "Empowering the People, Reinforcing Networks," the congress is expected to formulate efforts to eradicate the HIV epidemic with the establishment of a networking cooperation.
     "We hope participants from Asia and the Pacific will share experience, particularly those who are policy makers," Djoerban said.
     Fighting the HIV epidemic is an important item on the agenda of health development in Indonesia, in addition to reducing the maternal mortality rate, combating infectious diseases, and other health problems arising as a consequence of a higher life expectancy and an increase in the number of elderly citizens.
     As part of its efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Indonesian government has launched a national Action Plan to fight the disease in the 2007-2010 period.
     According to Minister Aburizal Bakrie, there are three important elements in the action plan, namely programs to reach groups susceptible to HIV/AIDS infection, especially intravenous drug users (IDUs), sex workers and their clients.
     The second element is preventive programs, namely efforts to prevent HIV infection through injections and high-risk sexual activity.
     The third one is comprehensive preventive programs including promotion of healthy life styles,  counseling, voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of transmission through sexual intercourse, harm reduction programs, care, support and treatment (CST) programs, universal prevention, prevention of mother-to-infant transmission, and safe blood transfusions.
    "These comprehensive programs are top priorities in 19 provinces, including two provinces in Papua needing special handling as 80 percent of their populations are susceptible to HIV infection," he said.
    The minister admitted funding was still a major challenge being faced in efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Indonesia with the government providing only 30 percent of the needed funds.
     In an effort to fight infectious diseases in Indonesia, there has been a global fund program. Germany is the first country to implement the program for Indonesia.
     So far, the Australian government has also expressed interest in joining a health-for-debt swap program called "Debt2Health" with Indonesia, according to the chairman of the Innovative Financing Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TBC and Malaria, Robert Filipp here on Monday.
     Australia's wish to provide funds for the program in Indonesia was expressed by the new Australian government during the last general elections, he said. "Therefore, GF (Global Fund) is conducting negotiations and at the same time reminding the Australian government about its political pledge," he said.
     "So far, the Global Fund has invested almost US$200 million in Indonesia for medical treatment, handling, prevention and improvement of health program systems," Robert Filipp said.
     The Debt2Health program aims to free up domestic resources through debt relief to invest in urgent public health needs in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
(T.A014/A/HAJM/A/E002)(T.A014/A/A014/A/E002) 23-06-2008 20:55:43