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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has continued to increase while it is estimated the disease will infect 400,000 and kill 100,000 people in 2010, a senior cabinet minister said.

"Without adequate intervention, the virus will by 2015 have infected one million people, killed 350,000 and infected 38,500 children," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said here Friday.

Fighting the HIV epidemic, he said, was an important item on the agenda of health development in Indonesia, in addition to reducing the maternal mortality rate, combating infectious diseases, and other health problems arising as a consequence of a higher life expectancy and an increase in the number of elderly citizens.

As part of its efforts to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, the government had launched a national Action Plan to fight the disease in the 2007-2010 period.

Three important elements in the action plan were, firstly programs to reach groups susceptible to HIV/AIDS infection , especially intravenous drug users (IDUs), sex workers and their clients.

Secondly, preventive programs, namely efforts to prevent HIV infection through injections and high-risk sexual activity.

Thirdly, comprehensive preventive programs including promotion of healthy life styles, counseling, voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of transmission through sexual intercourse, harm reduction programs, care, support and treatment (CST) programs, universal prevention, prevention of mother-to-infant transmission, and safe blood transfusions.

"These comprehensive programs are top priorities in 19 provinces, including two provinces in Papua needing special handling as 80 percent of their populations are susceptible to HIV infection," he said.

The minister admitted funding was still a major challenge being faced in efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Indonesia with the government providing only 30 percent of the needed funds.

"But this does not mean a low government commitment. Evidence of the government`s high commitment is the fact that the budgets allocated by regional administrations to fight the disease have increased sharply," he said.

At provincial administration level, the combined budget for HIV-related programs in the country`s 33 provinces increased from Rp8 billion in 2004 to Rp57 billion in 2007.

At district administration level, the combined budget for the same purpose also increased significantly. District administrations allocated an average of Rp3.5 billion for the programs in 2005 but the figure rose to Rp19 billion in 2007.

In addition, the number of district administrations setting aside budget funds for programs to fight HIV/AIDS had increased from 43 in 2005 to 86 in 2007, Bakrie said.

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