Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Catholic church welcomes PNG/Papua cooperation in battle against HIV

Posted at 03:28 on 02 April, 2008 UTC

The Catholic Church in Indonesia’s Papua region has welcomed a new approach to tackle the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Authorities in Papua and in neighbouring Papua New Guinea have now decided to cooperate in the fight against AIDS.

According to World Health Organisation, half of Indonesia’s new HIV/AIDS cases are found in Papua and more than two percent of Papuans are now infected.

Father Neles Tebay from the Catholic Diocese in Jayapura says this poses risks for many people.

“The disease is threatening the very survival of the indigenous Papuans, because at least, there’re, according to the official reports, there’re more than 3000 affected people.”

Neles Tebay says the HIV/AIDS epidemic is worsened by prostitution.