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Bali to Add Testing Clinics as HIV Cases Rise
December 25, 2011

Balinese teenagers during the Kissing Festival, locally called Omed - Omedan, in March this year. The kissing festival is held annually, one day after Balinese Hindus celebrate the Nyepi Day, the Balinese Day of Silence. The festival allows teenagers of different sex to kiss each other in the public. (EPA Photo) Balinese teenagers during the Kissing Festival, locally called Omed - Omedan, in March this year. The kissing festival is held annually, one day after Balinese Hindus celebrate the Nyepi Day, the Balinese Day of Silence. The festival allows teenagers of different sex to kiss each other in the public. (EPA Photo)
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Authorities in Bali are establishing more counseling and testing clinics in their effort to stem the rising number of infections with HIV/AIDS.

“The development in tourism has caused a shift in people’s lifestyles. That is what makes us concerned, so we plan to add more VCT clinics,” the head of the Bali Health Agency, Nyoman Sutedja, said in reference to Voluntary Counseling and Testing clinics.

Bali now has 26 VCT clinics across the province, Nyoman said. In the future, all 57 subdistricts in the island will have at least one such clinic. The government will first focus on subdistricts with high numbers of tourists, the official said.

“So far, we see that people are not provided with enough information [about HIV/AIDS] and they keep coming to places with a high risk of infection,” Nyoman said on Sunday, referring to prostitution and drug dens.

The Indonesian AIDS Prevention Commission (KPA) said last year that the number of known HIV/AIDS cases on Bali was soaring, with one in four prostitutes reported to be HIV-positive and the number of infections jumping almost 19 percent from the year before.

The KPA at that time had recorded 5,222 cases of HIV or AIDS in Bali, with nearly half in the capital Denpasar.

“By opening more VCT clinics, we want to reveal cases [of HIV/AIDS] that have so far remained undetected,” he said. “Hopefully, people will become more aware [of the risks] and have themselves checked at these VCT clinics.”

The government plans to recruit more doctors with specific knowledge and skills to conduct the counseling sessions. 

Antara




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