AIDS statistics raise alarm in PNG

The latest official HIV-AIDS statistics are causing alarm among health authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The latest official HIV-AIDS statistics are causing alarm among health authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG).New figures suggest more than 7,000 people now carry the deadly virus.Authorities have identified the rapid emergence of an illegal sex industry as contributing significantly to the HIV-AIDS problem.Prostitution in PNG is illegal but there has been an increasing push for regulation of the industry to control the spread of HIV-AIDS.The president of the PNG Medical Society, Professor Mathias Sapuri, says the situation needs to be addressed.”To attack the issue in PNG we need commitment at a higher political level,” he said. “What it means is there should be a parliamentary HIV-AIDS committee, or somebody higher up in the politics in PNG should take on the challenge and run with it to promote the campaign against HIV-AIDS in Papua New Guinea.”(Source: ABC, Last Update: Monday, September 22, 2003. 8:02pm (AEST))