The role of the people in tackling the HIV/AIDS problem must be increased to make the effort more effective, the minister said here on Monday in his opening speech at the Fourth National Meeting of AIDS 2011 being held from October 3 to 6, 2011.
Up to June 2011, the number of people infected with HIV reached 66,693, and the there were around 26,500 AIDS cases.
The five regions with the highest number of AIDS cases at present are Jakarta, East Java, West Java, Papua, and Bali. The highest number of HIV patients are found in Jakarta, East Java, Papua, Bali, and Central Java.
The National Meeting on AIDS is a large forum of discussions for various stakeholders to review the situation of the disease epidemic.
The fifth meeting will review HIV/AIDS control programs during the past five years since the issuance of the Presidential regulation 75/2006, the country`s progress in trying to achieve the MDGs target to combat HIV/AIDS by 2015, and the plans in the next five years.
The meeting is being participated in by 1,500 people representing among other things the government, the AIDS Control Commission, donor institutions, NGOs, and civil society.
Earlier this year, Minister Agung Laksono had said the handling of HIV/AIDS spread in Indonesia needs to be improved.
"There are three indicators on the effort to eradicate HIV/AIDS that need to be improved namely the use of condom in risky locations such as port and prostitution complexes, the percentage of teenagers aged 15 years above having an adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS and the percentage of regional government which actively conducted programs to eradicate HIV/AIDS spreading in their area," said the minister.
(Uu.F001/HAJM)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
