Indonesia's AIDS Commission Rejects Bill To Implant Microchips In Some HIV-Positive People

Indonesia's National AIDS Commission last week said a provision that would require some people living with HIV/AIDS to be implanted with microchips in the province of Papua is unworkable and a violation of human rights, Reuters India reports. "We reject this bylaw because it is against human rights and technically cannot be done," Nafsiah Mboi, secretary of the commission, said, adding, "How can someone know if a person is having sex or jumping and dancing?" (Reuters India, 11/27).

The provision would require "sexually aggressive" people living with HIV/AIDS to be implanted with microchips. According to John Manangsang, a lawmaker who supports the bill, authorities would be able to identify, track and punish people living with HIV/AIDS in the country's province of Papua who intentionally spread the virus with a $5,000 fine or up to six months in jail. Manangsang said, "Aggressive means actively seeking sexual intercourse." Under the provision, a committee would be created to establish which HIV-positive people should be implanted with microchips and to monitor their behavior. The technical and practical details of the bill are still being decided by lawmakers. The provincial parliament of Papua has given its full support to the measure, which will be enacted next month if it receives the expected majority vote (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/25). Manangsang on Thursday said that the bylaw initially would only establish a Papua HIV/AIDS center to determine whether the microchip idea is feasible. Mboi said that the central government cannot stop the bylaw but that it is attempting to negotiate with lawmakers to drop articles that violate human rights. She added that said Papua's governor could refuse to sign the bylaw (Reuters India, 11/27).

In related news, the Indonesian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Papua recently said that it will consider accepting the provision if lawmakers supporting it agree to undergo HIV tests and be similarly implanted with microchips if they are found to be HIV-positive. "If it is the best solution for Papua, we will accept it on one condition," Enita Rouw, a representative for the network, said, adding, "We will agree to be implanted with the chips once all of the council members agree to undergo HIV/AIDS tests as demanded by the bylaw." Rouw added that all authorities in Papua should be tested for HIV and that the results should be published to ensure that any human rights violations associated with the provision are dealt out equally (Flassy/Suherdjoko, Jakarta Post, 11/28).

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HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus (a member of the retrovirus family) that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Previous names for the virus include human T-lymphotropic virus-III (HTLV-III), lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), and AIDS-associated retrovirus (ARV).

Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk. Within these bodily fluids, HIV is present as both free virus particles and virus within infected immune cells. The four major routes of transmission are unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated needles, breast milk, and transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth. Screening of blood products for HIV has largely eliminated transmission through blood transfusions or infected blood products in the developed world.

HIV infection in humans is now pandemic. As of January 2006, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate that AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized on December 1, 1981. It is estimated that about 0.6 percent of the world's population is infected with HIV. In 2005 alone, AIDS claimed an estimated 2.4–3.3 million lives, of which more than 570,000 were children. A third of these deaths are occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, retarding economic growth and increasing poverty.

According to current estimates, HIV is set to infect 90 million people in Africa, resulting in a minimum estimate of 18 million orphans. Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries.

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Causes.

Normally, white blood cells and antibodies attack and destroy foreign organisms that enter your body. This response is coordinated by white blood cells known as CD4 lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are also the main targets of HIV, which attaches to the cells and then enters them. Once inside, the virus inserts its own genetic material into the lymphocytes and makes copies of itself.

When the new copies of the virus break out of the host cells and enter the bloodstream, they search for other cells to attack. In the meantime, the old host cells and some uninfected CD4 cells die from the effects of the virus. The cycle repeats itself again and again. In the process, billions of new HIV particles are produced every day. Eventually, the number of CD4 cells in the body decreases, leading to severe immune deficiency, which means your body can no longer effectively fight off viruses and bacteria that cause disease.

How HIV is transmitted
You can become infected with HIV in several ways, including:

• Sexual transmission. You may become infected if you have vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected partner whose blood, semen or vaginal secretions enter your body. You can also become infected from shared sexual devices if they're not washed or covered with a condom. The virus is present in the semen or vaginal secretions of someone who's infected and enters your body through small tears that can develop in the vagina or rectum during sexual activity. If you already have another sexually transmitted disease, you're at much greater risk of contracting HIV.
  

• Transmission through infected blood. In some cases, the virus may be transmitted through blood and blood products that you receive in blood transfusions. Since 1985, American hospitals and blood banks have screened the blood supply for HIV antibodies. This blood testing, along with improvements in donor screening and recruitment practices, has substantially reduced the risk of acquiring HIV through a transfusion.

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Treatment Guide.

Introduction to HIV and AIDS treatment

This is the first of a set of treatment pages that give an overview of the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS treatment. It is followed by starting HIV & AIDS treatment and continuing HIV & AIDS treatment.

What is HIV antiretroviral treatment?

This is the main type of treatment for HIV or AIDS. It is not a cure, but it can stop people from becoming ill for many years. The treatment consists of drugs that have to be taken every day for the rest of a person’s life.

The aim of antiretroviral treatment is to keep the amount of HIV in the body at a low level. This stops any weakening of the immune system and allows it to recover from any damage that HIV might have caused already.

The drugs are often referred to as:

• antiretrovirals
• anti-HIV or anti-AIDS drugs

• HIV antiviral drugs
• ARVs

Medication to Treat the HIV

Combivir are antiviral medications. They are in a group of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) medicines called reverse transcriptase inhibitors. This medication helps keep the HIV virus from reproducing in the body. The combination of Combivir is used to treat HIV, which causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

HIV Nutrition

HIV and nutrition are intimately linked. HIV infection can lead to malnutrition, while poor diet can in turn speed the disease’s progress. As AIDS treatment becomes increasingly available in the poorest parts of the world, critical questions are emerging about how well the drugs work in people who are short of food. Uncertainty also surrounds the role of vitamins and other supplements. And for those already receiving treatment, side effects such as body fat changes are a daily concern.

Understandably, HIV positive people and those who care for them are keenly interested in whatever might benefit their health. This article looks at what is known about the relationships between HIV and nutrition, and what this means for tackling the disease.

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