0 Worries as HIV spreads like wildfire in Tangerang

The HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation commission (KPA) at Tangerang health agency identified at least 675 new HIV/AIDS cases in the regency in the first part of last year, an official said on Wednesday. KPA manager Hady Irawan said that his office collected data from January to September, in age and occupation categories. 

They found a significant increase of infection in the 24 - 45 age group. “The spread of HIV in the regency has reached a worrying level because the majority of infected people are in their most productive years,” Hady told reporters. “These figures are just the tip of the iceberg. Not everyone is willing to be tested,” he said. 

The statistics are yet to include data collected between September and December, so figures for the whole year are sure to be even more bleak. Data from Tangerang health agency shows 1,515 people in the regency living with HIV in 2012. However, the KPA recorded 461 people with HIV and 214 with fully developed AIDS. Last year, the agency recorded 428 people with HIV and 146 cases of AIDS. 

Previously, the commission suspected the virus was spread through needle sharing by intravenous drug users, but most cases found in Kosambi district are due to unsafe sex. The area contains a red-light district. The sex worker population of the regency has increased by between 500 and 650 each year of late. To curb the spread of the virus, the agency runs education programs on sexually transmitted infections and identifies the areas most prone to transmission of HIV. “The problem we now face is lack of officers to identify new HIV cases. Also we don’t have enough volunteers to support people with HIV,” Hady added.

source : the jakarta post