South Pacific fears occurrence of AIDS epidemic
AIDS weekly plus 1999: 12
1999
PMID: 12322028 Document Number: 219101
Papua New Guinea has the greatest number of HIV infection and AIDS cases in the Pacific region, and the number is increasing. According to a Papua New Guinea Health Department survey, there were 642 new HIV cases in 1998, while there were 351 new cases in 1997. 185 persons were diagnosed with AIDS and 23 persons died from it in 1998; 120 persons were diagnosed with AIDS and 31 died from it in 1997. According to the Fiji Health Department, the total number of reported cases of HIV in Papua New Guinea is 1556; however, it is probable that there are 10 unreported cases for every reported case. 71% of new 1998 HIV cases were found in the National Capital District around Port Moresby. 200 participants attended the first South Pacific regional conference on HIV, which was organized by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Adi Lady Lalabalavu Mara, the First Lady of Fiji, noted that at least 25% of HIV patients were younger than 25 years of age. She said that solutions were the responsibility of the whole community and looked forward to the information obtained from the Youth Forum at the conference. Dr. R. Moodie of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation in Australia said that HIV/AIDS were spread by sexual contact in the Pacific region and called for more open and free discussion, so that informed choices could be made. This is hampered by the dominance of fundamentalist Christian churches in most South Pacific nations.