The AIDS Commission (KPA) of Bali estimates the total number of HIV/AIDS cases is as much as 26,000, reports Tribun Bali.
Only about 10,371 people have received check-ups or engaged with KPA, says I Ketut Sudikerta, Chairman of Bali’s Provincial KPA. That means the commission must work hard through creative programs to reach the remaining infected population, Sudikerta said.
Of that 10,371 people, 4,811 have AIDs, while 5,660 are HIV cases.
Bali takes fifth place in Indonesia for areas with the highest HIV/AIDS cases after Papua, East Java, Jakarta, and West Java, according to Tribun.
The local government has been making efforts by way of preventative counseling (i.e. curative treatment) and education, Sudikerta says.
Within Bali, Denpasar has a reported 4,124 cases, Badung has 1,814, and Buleleng has 1,571. This means other districts in Bali only average about 200-300 people.
Programs currently run by local government include ones that are aimed at high-risk commercial sex workers, injecting drug users, and people who are already infected with HIV/AIDS. Namely, services are available like counseling, treatment, provision of antiretroviral drugs, distribution of condoms, clean needles, and methadone, reports Tribun. Meanwhile, programs targeting low-risk populations are in the form of public awareness and discrimination reduction with government and NGOs.
Source: Tribun Bali
Photo: Pixabay
