Businessmen have passed sex workers for the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia, a new study released earlier this month to mark International AIDS Day said. Still, the Islamic country remains fairly low on its overall numbers. “From our records of almost a year, entrepreneurs and businessmen are now the largest number of [people living with AIDS], even compared to sex workers and housewives,” said Esti Martiana Rachmi, the head of the city's health office said in a published report carried by local news outlets. Local commentators were surprised by the findings, considering a number of areas in the country have numerous brothels, including the infamous Dolly area, where some 300 institutions exist. Esti said that businessmen and entrepreneurs topped the list of people living with AIDS in the city, followed by housewives and, in third, sex workers. She said the businessmen and entrepreneurs not only usually had more money but were also more mobile and therefore more prone to use the services of prostitutes. Data from the city health office showed that in 2011, there were 560 people living with HIV/AIDS registered in the city with businessmen and entrepreneurs numbering 170. Meanwhile Erwin Astha Triyono, from the State General Hospital in Surabaya, said that women, especially house-wives, still accounted for a large percentage of people with HIV/AIDS in Surabaya. He said that in October, 47 new HIV/AIDS cases were registered in the city, and women accounted for 12 cases. From these 12 cases, two were pregnant women, he said. “It is very difficult to protect housewives from HIV/AIDS. Especially when the source of the infection is the husband. It is, as we know, rare for husbands to be honest and confess that they use sex workers or are junkies,” Erwin said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/jXjYi No related posts. Tags: AIDS, Businessmen, HIV, Indonesia, Sex Workers Section: East Asia, Health, Latest News
