"The handling of HIV/AIDS must be done comprehensively," he noted, through a press release received, on Tuesday.
He stated this when confirming 250 friends who care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Bekasi, West Java, and conveying their hopes through Friends of Care for PLWHA, through which the public can understand and avoid the spread of HIV-AIDS virus.
He noted that based on the Ministry of Health data, the number of people with HIV-AIDS in Indonesia was still relatively high, adding that there were 314,143 cases of HIV and 111,973 cases of AIDS until 2018.
"The highest distribution is in the age group of between 20 and 49 years. This condition is of course very worrying because the highest distribution of the disease is actually found among those of the productive age, who are the subjects and drivers of development," he remarked.
The condition of contracting HIV-AIDS, he added, is highly dependent on various physical and psychological aspects, which can then become a social problem when discrimination occurs.
In this regard, the Ministry of Social Affairs has taken appropriate and planned anticipatory steps. The Ministry of Social Affairs has confirmed 2000 Caring Friends of PLWHA since 2017-2018. In 2019, it has reaffirmed 1000 Friends of Care for PLWHA.
In addition to this, the Ministry of Social Affairs also organized social rehabilitation services for those affected by HIV through Social Rehabilitation Centers and Centers for People with HIV.
HIV/AIDS prevention should be accompanied by an understanding of this problem as an urgent issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
"These countermeasures must focus on religious and cultural values and must be directed at maintaining and strengthening family security and prosperity," the minister revealed. All efforts, including those carried out by the government and by the community, need to be actively supported by various components, "he explained.
Reporting by Juraidi, Eliswan Azly
Editing by Suharto
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
