HIV & AIDS epidemic in Papua

Juliana Yarisetou works as an AIDS advocacy officer for the international NGO Family Health International in Jayapura. She contracted HIV from her husband in 2004. She is open with her status and often gives her testimony on living with HIV. "I've been infected since 2004. I got very sick in 2005 and weighed 22 kg - before that I was 86 kg. I went to the hospital but it was very difficult to get treatment - the doctors didn't know much about HIV/AIDS. They told me to go home and rest. I thought it was just for sex workers, and I kept asking, "Why me?" After the community knew I was HIV positive all of them discriminated against me; they didn't want to be around me, eat or drink with me. An NGO came to the village and educated the community, the church also gave support. Since then I have been open about my status."

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Filename: HIV/AIDS_Papua11.jpg
Copyright: Andri Tambunan
Image Size: 3888x2592 / 6.6MB; HIV AIDS Papua health epidemic Wamena Timika Jayapura Indonesia.
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Juliana Yarisetou works as an AIDS advocacy officer for the international NGO Family Health International in Jayapura. She contracted HIV from her husband in 2004. She is open with her status and often gives her testimony on living with HIV. "I've been infected since 2004. I got very sick in 2005 and weighed 22 kg - before that I was 86 kg. I went to the hospital but it was very difficult to get treatment - the doctors didn't know much about HIV/AIDS. They told me to go home and rest. I thought it was just for sex workers, and I kept asking, "Why me?" After the community knew I was HIV positive all of them discriminated against me; they didn't want to be around me, eat or drink with me. An NGO came to the village and educated the community, the church also gave support. Since then I have been open about my status."