Syphilic Cases In DIY Soar, Office Intensifys Socialization Of Healthy Sexual Relations

YOGYAKARTA - The Health Office of the Special Region of Yogyakarta has intensified health counseling to the public, especially the male sex community (LSL) to suppress the spike in cases of sifilists or lion kings in this province.

Head of the Disease Control Division of the DIY Health Office, Setyarini Hestu Lestari, said that the syphilic case in DIY in the first quarter of 2023 had reached 89 cases, which were dominated by the LSL group, reaching 60 percent.

"Of course, apart from treatment, counseling to the public and we also conveyed this result, yesterday we told the NGO community to remain vigilant and take care of their health," said Setyarini, Wednesday, May 24.

According to Setyarini, the approach through the community is more effective because not a few people with sexually transmitted diseases including LSL are reluctant or embarrassed to check themselves into health care facilities (fasyankes).

"If then we communicate with the community, there is a chairman or administrator, we can enter it so that health-related information can be conveyed," he said.

Referring to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health's HIV/AIDS Information System, Setyarini said that cases of diseases triggered by Pallidum Treponema bacteria have experienced an increasing trend in DIY since 2020.

In 2020 the number of syphilic cases in DIY was recorded at 67 cases, then increased to 141 cases in 2021, and in 2022 it increased significantly again to 333 cases.

Meanwhile, until March 2023, the syphilic cases in DIY had reached 89 cases, or had exceeded the total cases in 2020.

Based on gender, there are more cases of syphilicism in DIY in men than women who are dominated by ages 25-49 years.

"Based on risk factors, it is indeed (dominated) the NGO, this is our data," he said.

Syphilic cases from the NGO group, he said, experienced an increasing trend every year with a percentage of 15 percent in 2020, 34 percent in 2021, 44 percent in 2022, and jumped to 60 percent in 2023.

Apart from the NGO group, according to him, a number of other groups such as sex worker women, sex worker customers, and transvestites also have the same risk even though the percentage is lower.

Head of the Yogyakarta Gedongtengen Health Center, Dr. Tri Kusumo Bawono, said that the high number of syphilic cases in DIY was not due to the increasing number of sufferers, but because of the increasing number of examination services.

According to Tri Kusumo, the sexual infectious infection service (IMS) in the city of Yogyakarta was only found at the Gedongtengen Health Center, but currently it has developed in six other health centers in the local area.

"The more services, the more cases are found. The cases are increasing, like an iceberg," he said.

The case of a syphilic case, said Tri, was most suffered by the NGO group because they had sexual contact in an inappropriate or risky place.

"This infection can recover due to the causes of bacteria. HIV is a virus. However, if it is not treated, it can attack parts of the brain, heart, blood vessels, and kidneys," he said.