Yesterday was World AIDS Day, and judging from some startling new numbers, Indonesia is going to need a fresh strategy to cope with this deadly disease.The Health Ministry puts the number of cases nationwide at 18,000; the Association of Indonesian Physicians Concerned About HIV/AIDS puts it at 270,000. That's not just a clerical error ... that's a serious disconnect, that's putting lives at stake.
In fact it's somewhat reminiscent of former South African president Thabo Mbeki, with his ineffectual response to HIV while his nation was ravaged by it. Given the recent push by Papuan legislators to implant sufferers with microchips, it looks like the crisis has left the realm of science and common sense, and is becoming tinged with outright panic.
So the administration needs to get real, get over the stigma, and start working to save lives. AIDS isn't a death sentence like it was in the '80s, but it still can be, if people aren't properly informed about it.
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