Indonesia, with 220 million people, is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Today it is also a nation on the verge of a HIV explosion. At present Indonesia has about a quarter million HIV infections according to official reports. But it is likely that there are more HIV patients than what is officially recorded.It is estimated that by the end of this decade Indonesia will be home to half a million people affected with HIV .Health officials fear that that figure can double within no time if precautionary methods are not quickly implemented.
It is known that medical infrastructure and means of communication are not technologically advanced in Indonesia making it more cumbersome to gather accurate data. Therefore the figures that are available may only be the tip of an iceberg. The health minister Siti Fadilah Supari in a news conference,voiced concern about the situation.More that half of the AIDS cases in Indonesia have a past which is blemished with drug abuse. Another worrisome factor is the incredibly huge number of sex workers that are in Indonesia. People of Indonesia mostly have very liberal views regarding sex. Prostitution is rampant. Surveys have revealed that only 15% of the 3-4 million sex workers here are actually willing to use condoms.
Over the next five years ,the Indonesian government hopes to conduct more AIDS awareness camps.The government plans to build more sophisticated hospitals that can cater treatment to HIV infected patients. Government officials have divulged that the government intends to spent at least 448 pounds for this projected cause.
Being a Moslem nation, some of the Moslem clerics are opposed to the use of condoms, and admonish the faithful to practice monogamy, or even abstinence as a solution to prevent the spread of HIV infection.
Source-Medindia
MST
