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"Epidemic at Indon doorstep"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(01/12/05)
JAKARTA: UNAIDS executive director Peter Piot could be in any city in the
world for World AIDS Day today.
But the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) chief has chosen to
commemorate it here, in the capital of the world's fourth most populous
nation, as it is “the new frontline of an AIDS epidemic.”
Piot said he wanted to see attention focused on the Asian region, where one
in five people is infected globally, compared to one in 10 new infections a
decade ago.
He said yesterday that Indonesia must improve co-ordination of its response
to HIV/AIDS as it stood on the cusp of a nationwide epidemic.
“It's not up to the measures of the risk Indonesia is running with the
spread of HIV,” he said.
Piot said there had been progress in the fight against AIDS in Indonesia but
insufficient funding and a lack of co-ordination among government agencies
and donors were hampering efforts to fight it.
“It seems to me at the top level there's good leadership, awareness of what
is going on; but I think overall the response to it is sadly inadequate.
“National AIDS coordination requires stronger leadership and bigger
investment from the government itself,” he said.
Piot urged Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to personally lead
the country's fight.
He said an expanded response to the epidemic was critical, as infection
rates were running high among injecting drug users (IDUs), sex workers and
their clients, and also among the heterosexual population in Papua.
“Once it starts like that, it's only a matter of time before HIV spreads
outside these fairly defined populations,” Piot said.
Health Ministry data for September shows there are 8,251 people living with
HIV/ AIDS in the country.
International agencies, however, say 90,000 to 130,000 people could be
HIV-positive while some say it is more like 180,000 to 250,000 people.
The major force driving the epidemic here is injecting drug use. Chief
Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab said there are at least 600,000 IDUs throughout
the country, half of whom are believed to be HIV-positive.
Promoting condom use as well as harm reduction strategies, which include
providing sterile disposable needles, disinfectants and heroin substitutes,
are still controversial and have not received full support.
Alwi said his office had talked to religious leaders on the consequences of
not promoting the use of condoms.
“We are giving the other perspective. Under Islamic law, it is also
necessary to prevent death, and maintaining life is the responsibility of
all individual Muslims,” said the minister.
He said representatives of regional legislative councils from all 33
provinces would meet here to discuss HIV/AIDS-related issues, particularly
budget allocation. — Agencies
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