SINGARAJA

Up to 20 people a month are being infected by HIV/AIDS in Buleleng, according to vice regent Arga Pynatih. And he said the figures made him doubt the accuracy of lower infection levels reported in other regencies.

On latest figures Buleleng has 880 HIV/AIDS patients. Pynatih said the figures had been collated from intense data collection at village health posts. Infected people had been deliberately sought out so that they could be educated not to transmit the disease to others. Buleleng’s infection numbers were “a lot because we seek them,” he said.

Pynatih said he believed reported figures from other regions were too low because cases were not actively sought out.

From Buleleng’s data, around 20 new infections were occurring each month and the disease was rapidly spreading in the 19-28 year age group.