Celebration World AIDS day this year remember that manipulation HIV/AIDS in Indonesia it is still not optimal.
A number of tasks still need to be completed. Furthermore, of the many PLHIVs (people with HIV/AIDS), only a handful are being treated.
Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (P2PM) of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Imran Pambudi said that there was actually progress in HIV/AIDS prevention in Indonesia during 2010-2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic is holding back efforts to eliminate HIV/AIDS in 2030.
Until September 2020, the achievement of the 95-95-95 goal that had been proclaimed had not been optimal. The 95-95-95 goal means that 95% of people with HIV are alive and know their status, 95% of people with HIV are in treatment, and 95% of people with HIV are suppressed.
However, of the estimated 526,841 PLHIV in Indonesia, “only” 79% (417,863) of PLHIV are alive and know their status. Not only that, only 41% (169,767) of PLHIV were on treatment and 16% (27,381) of PLHIV whose virus had been suppressed.
“The problem at the moment is more like following people who are positive and then entering treatment. Then whoever is being treated must also check how their condition is. These two things need to be more focused,” Imran said in an online press conference with the Ministry of Health in the context of World AIDS Day, Tuesday (11/29).
Mother and son
What is quite worrying are women, especially mothers and children infected with HIV/AIDS. Imran said that out of a total of about 12,500 HIV-positive children aged 12 and younger, only about 7,800 children received treatment.
PLHIVs who are still children are obviously still very dependent on their parents. He said the large numerical gap between children with HIV/AIDS and those who already have access to ARVs lies in access to knowledge and health services for their mothers.
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Illustration. This year’s celebration of World AIDS Day reminds us that management in Indonesia is still not optimal. (iStockphoto/Gam1983)
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For example, if you want to go back, only some pregnant women are screened for HIV. From the available data, out of about 5.2 million pregnant women, only about 2 million are screened for HIV. Meanwhile, when it was found to be positive, the mother was reluctant to tell the family.
“If positive, he asked, ‘You understand [HIV] from where?’. This is a very difficult thing to answer. Some cases cause quarrels in the family. Ultimately, mothers and babies cannot access medicines due to issues like this,” she added.
The P2PM team also found that women in several areas still depended on men or their families to make decisions. This also hampers access to drugs.
Indeed, HIV/AIDS prevention in Indonesia still faces several challenges. Santoso Edi Budiono, a member of the HIV-AIDS and STI expert group at the Ministry of Health, admitted that there is still the opinion that education about condoms means free sex is justified. This is coupled with the negative stigma that is still attached to HIV/AIDS.
The Ministry of Health also seeks HIV/AIDS education through people of the same age or age. The hope is that education will be captured more than what is given by teachers and parents.
“So it can create an impression, HIV is no different than high blood pressure and diabetes. As long as you take the medicine, there’s no problem,” she said.
(the/asr)
