HIV Positive Cases in Prostitutes Up 10%: Bali

By Barrie | September 13th, 2007 | No Comments

The oldest profession in the world was obviously the sector in our community considered to be the prime transmitter of HIV/AIDS. These days anybody not using a condom when engaging in sexual activities is either a complete idiot or just damn ignorant. So, if you’re heading over to Bali and want to exercise your pecker then at least wear a condom!.

Here’s more from the Bali Discovery:

The Indonesian-language DenPost reports that HIV positive cases have increased 30% in the space of just two years. There are an estimated 4,041 people in Bali currently testing positive for HIV, up from the 3,000 cases recorded in 2005.

Local experts report that new cases are dominated by infections via sexual contact, primarily via contact with female prostitutes. This is a change for past patterns of new infections when 40-50% of old cases were blamed on the shared use of needles among intravenous drug users.

The report quoted local experts who estimate 10% of female sex workers in Bali are HIV positive, up dramatically from an estimated 3% in 2001.

Officials are linking the higher rate of infection among sex workers to Bali’s growing population and the burgeoning number of cafes, karaoke, massage parlors and entertainment venues.

The HIV experts also estimated that 100,000 customers are served by female prostitutes in Bali each year with perhaps only 20-30% of those “transaction” employing the use of a condom.