HIV/AIDS on the increase despite global decline

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite stabilizing figures globally, the National AIDS Commission says Indonesia's efforts to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS have been ineffective given a substantial national increase in infection rates for 2007.

The poor performance was due to lack of comprehensive measures targeting high-risk groups, particularly injecting drug users and sex workers, AIDS commission coordinator for reports and information systems Wenita Indriasari announced at a media conference Thursday in Jakarta.

"Efforts have yet to reach most drug users and sex workers, who have been our main target groups to prevent the spread of the virus," she said.

Preventive measures only reached some 18 percent of drug users targeted, and only around 14 percent of sex workers. This year, the commission aims to make contact with 40 percent of Indonesia's drug users and 50 percent of its sex workers.

Indriasari said, the commission hopes by 2010 the number of new HIV/AIDS infections would be halved.

She said targeting drug users needed better coordination between police and other related stakeholders -- which had yet to be accomplished.

Local values had also hampered efforts to control the spread, through promoting the use of condoms by sex workers and their customers, and couples, Indriasari said.

Indonesia held its national condom week in December 2007 in efforts to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including the HIV/AIDS virus, by promoting safe sex.

The program, however, was a source of controversy for some members of the community who considered it to promote promiscuity.

The number of reported cases of people with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia reached 10,384 in September 2007, of which some 2,190 were new infections, contracted last year.

With this rapid increase Indonesia is estimated to have the fastest growth in the number of new HIV/AIDS infections in Asia.

Conversely at a global level, the prevalence rate has stabilized at around 33.2 million cases, and the number of new infections has been declining. This is believed to be a result of massive efforts to control the spread of the disease.

"We should learn from other Asian countries, like Cambodia and Thailand, which have been more successful in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS," Wenita said.

She said infections had occurred in most provinces in Indonesia, and was most commonly contracted among drug users and sex workers. The virus has also spread to couples and children in several provinces including Papua, Wenita said.

"In Papua, HIV/AIDS has occurred not only among high-risk groups but also in the broader population," she said.

Indonesia still depends on foreign aid to support its efforts to control the spread of the virus.

Of the budgeted Rp 1.3 trillion (US$138.7 million) needed for HIV/AIDS prevention this year, the Indonesian government could only provide around Rp 500 billion under its state budget.