Cianjur (ANTARA) – The Health Office (Dinkes) of Cianjur Regency, West Java, recorded 488 men who have sex with men (MSM) in the area have tested positive for HIV/AIDS.
Of the 488 MSM people, 168 of them underwent treatment, 320 people did not receive treatment, and 21 others died.
Cianjur District Health Office Secretary Yusman Faisal in Cianjur, Friday, said that during the past eight years most deviant sex offenders have closed themselves off and only a small number have dared to open up and undergo regular monthly treatment.
Also read: There are MSM in almost all offices of the Cianjur Regency Government
“These recorded MSM have opened up and are willing to undergo testing. It is likely that there are many more MSM in Cianjur, because this is data on MSM who have opened up, underwent tests, and are positive for HIV/AIDS,” he said.
Meanwhile, the number of MSM in Cianjur, he said, until now has not been recorded with certainty, but his party has confirmed there are more than hundreds of people. It’s just that his party focuses on dealing with those who are already positive for HIV/AIDS, facilitating treatment so that the virus doesn’t develop quickly.
Secretary of the Cianjur AIDS Commission (KPA) Hilman admitted that until now his party did not have exact data on the number of MSM in Cianjur, but the rough data that had been pocketed numbered more than a thousand people and 488 of them were living with HIV/AIDS.
“Those who have opened up said that the number of MSM in Cianjur is quite a lot, but they don’t dare to mention numbers, while the data that appears is only a few compared to the original data that has not been disclosed,” he said.
Also read: Cianjur Regency Government issues a circular on prevention of LGBT
Also read: Lens records 617 new gays in Cianjur during January-July
To prevent perpetrators of sexual deviance, said Hilman, it continues to grow and requires the participation of all parties, from the government, community and religious leaders to the general public. Guidance and early prevention so that children do not get along wrongly.
“We will conduct guidance to schools so that students stay away from actions that are prohibited by religion and the norms of life, because from this behavior, they can contract diseases for which there is no cure and end in death,” said Hilman.
