Illustrated
Jayapura, Jubi – Cases of HIV/AIDS transmission cases from mother to child are the second largest after heterosexual transmission in Papua, the Papua Health Office said in its quarterly report per 31 March 2016.
Cases of heterosexual transmission reached 24,543 while the transmission from mother to child reached 460 cases (141 HIV and 319 AIDS). The third higher case is the unidentified transmission, namely 124 cases (60 HIV and 64 AIDS).
The Head of Papua Health Office, drg. Aloysias Giay said the Ministry of Health urged the provincial office to restrain the number. “We have been asked to restrain the number that nationally reach 25,215 of the existing cases, but it grows faster,” he said by phone on Monday (27/6/2016).
He worried about the increment of identified cases, but from the point of health service, they have made an achievement because the more cases are identified, it helped to identify its cares and preventions.
“We could be considered being success in identifying the number of cases, therefore we can provide assistance to the patients and provide the understanding to those who have nor yet transmitted,” he said.
He said the provincial office keep continuing to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS patients. One of the actions taken is by establishing the health task unit for the villages. “We have sent the team to the villages. They are now in the villages to provide assistance for the local community,” he said.
Papua human right activist Paneas Lokbere said the number of patients is increasingly raised but the government’s act in preventing the transmission of this disease has not given impact every year. “Sometimes ago the government was busy with the media campaign but now it’s rarely broadcasted, also the billboards on the street,” he said. (Benny Mawel).
