Indonesia faces growing AIDS woes, Papua big worry: WHO

Source: Reuters

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia faces a growing AIDS problem -- particularly among drug users and prostitutes -- while a recent survey shows two percent of the Papua population infected with HIV, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.

The sprawling, developing nation of 220 million people also faces constraints and lack of resources to cope with the problem, Bjorn Melgaard of the WHO said at the release of the report.

"Indonesia has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in Asia. Although the HIV prevalence among adults is still generally low, it has reached high levels among specific populations like injecting drug users and sex workers," the report said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation but many of its citizens have a liberal attitude toward sex and prostitution is a thriving part of the economy in many areas.
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See also WHO 2006 update - Indonesia