Jayapura – The number of people living with HIV/AIDS has reached an alarming level in the nation's easternmost province of Papua.

As of December 31, 1,749 people have been recorded as HIV positive, 696 of whom have developed AIDS. Of those 696 people, 232 have died of an AIDS-defining illness, according to the Papua Health Office.

Samuel Baso, a doctor at a Jayapura state hospital, said the government would continue with its campaign to raise people's awareness of the epidemic.