Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Three people with HIV/AIDS were recently admitted to Abdul Moeloek General Hospital in Bandarlampung, Lampung province, bringing to 94 the total number of patients treated at the hospital for the disease in the past three months.
The patients, identified by their initials as Fr and Wn, both 25, and Ud, 35, are being treated at a special ward in the hospital.
Hospital director Dr. Wirman said Friday the hospital had never treated such a high number of patients. "The number of HIV/AIDS patients is considered quite spectacular."
He said two of the three patients were undergoing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), in addition to receiving intensive treatment.
"Fr's condition is not too severe. His condition could improve, although he isn't on the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to prevent viral resistance. He is still undergoing further tests to determine the status of his immune system." He said Wn and Ud required extensive treatment because the HIV virus had affected their immune systems, but added that they still could improve if they underwent routine treatment combined with ARV therapy.
The doctor said HIV/AIDS treatment was no longer a problem, thanks to ARV, which prevents the spread of the virus.
"Anyone can survive as long as they take the medicine for the rest of their lives."
Herdimansyah, head of the Coalition for a Healthy Lampung, a local NGO, said the rate of spread of the virus in Lampung was alarming because most people were still unaware of the disease.
He said the Global Fund for HIV-AIDS Prevention had terminated allocations to Lampung because the provincial administration lacked commitment to fighting the disease.
"The administration did not allocate a budget to fight HIV/AIDS. In addition to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS cases are also on the rise in the province. Besides the 94 patients treated at the hospital, the actual number of afflicted is likely to be higher because some of them are too ashamed to seek treatment."
He said the Global Fund had assisted the Health Ministry's AIDS prevention efforts since March 2007.
Although funding has been severed, the local administration continues to receive grants via the government from humanitarian relief agencies, including the Ford, Rockefeller and Asian foundations, as well as the United Nations.
Herdimansyah said the Global Fund had been providing around Rp 500 million since 2007, to be used in programs including counseling, voluntary tests, mothers-to-infants HIV spread prevention and HIV/AIDS drugs.
In 2007, Lampung recorded 141 AIDS cases, 110 of which were found in Bandarlampung, including 38 fatalities.
North Lampung regency reported five cases with four deaths, Central Lampung five cases with two deaths and Metro five cases with two deaths.
South Lampung recorded one non-fatal case, Tulangbawang one case and no fatalities, Tanggamus two cases with no fatalities and Way Kanan three cases with two deaths.
However, the government data differs from numbers provided by the Saburai Support Group, an NGO providing advocacy for people with AIDS.
Its coordinator, Aji Vespa, said more than 85 HIV/AIDS patients had died between 2004 and March this year.
The figure, according to Aji, is based solely on the number of people the group counseled, suggesting the total number may be higher.
Aji said his group had counseled 155 people with HIV/AIDS in 10 regencies and cities in Lampung, ranging from children below the age of five to adults, including a number of housewives infected by their spouses.
He said HIV/AIDS prevention in Lampung was ineffective due to a general lack of public awareness and knowledge of the disease. Many of the residents consider the disease a curse and ostracize those afflicted.
Aji said many of those with HIV/AIDS in Lampung were believed to have previously lived or worked in Jakarta. They returned home to Lampung when their conditions worsened.