Love Yourself, Love Others Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which manifests as failure of the immune system and allows life-threatening opportunistic infection. HIV/AIDS is commonly transmitted through sexual contact and intravenous drug use. Highest incidence of HIV/AIDS occurs in adolescents and young adults where they are in their most sexually active years. HIV prevalence amongst people who use IV drugs in Indonesia is 36%. Now, HIV/AIDS epidemic in Indonesia is the fastest growing in Asia and it makes HIV/AIDS one of many big problems in Indonesia. Lately, people do not seem to be aware of how big this problem is. More than 1 million people were diagnosed with AIDS since 1981 and social stigma from other people makes the problem bigger. Social stigma makes people afraid to seek treatment and receive inadequate amount of information about prevention, which make it hard to stop the disease and aggravate patients' situation. People infected with HIV should be treated with care, and things that should be avoided are changing sexual partners and sharing needles with infected person. So, let's love yourself by avoiding AIDS and love others by caring about the people who are struggling with AIDS.
BRAINs|
Vol. II November 2013
| II/XI/2013/EAMSC 2014 Â
73