YCTP Executive Director Vincent Tsia said here on Monday that the cooperation with USAID would focus on controlling HIV/AIDS in villages located far Timika City.
He said the focus would be on remote areas because health facilities in remote villages and Mimika coastal areas were not yet adequate. Besides, information and knowledge about AIDS in rural areas was still low.
"The control program will be focused on remote areas and coastal areas which are far from the city," he said.
Up to July 2011, there were 2,623 HIV/AIDS cases in Mimika making it the region with the highest incidence of the disease in Papua province.
In the January - July 2011 period, 210 new cases had been detected.
In the meantime, a total of 181 people suffering from HIV/AIDS died in Jayapura district during 2011, the region`s AIDS Eradication Commission (KPA) said earlier.
The number was down compared to 2010 when 192 HIV/AIDS patients died, KPA secretary Purnomo said adding that although the number of people living with HIV/AIDS who died had declined, the number of sufferers had increased.
"In 2011 the number HIV/AIDS sufferers continued to increase but we are still grateful that the number of those who died decreased," Purnomo said.
He said this was the result of the seriousness of the local administration, through the local health office, in continuing to conduct HIV/AIDS checks on all people in regional hospitals and health centers as well as auxiliary health centers throughout Jayapura district.
In addition, the local administration was also intensifying efforts to familiarize the public about HIV/AIDS through the health office and regional AIDS Eradication Commission (KPA), Purnomo said.
He noted until November 2011, the number of HIV/AIDS cases had reached 796, consisting of 335 HIV and 461 AIDS cases.
(Uu.A014/HAJM/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
