Indonesian Province Mulls Tagging AIDS Patients With Microchips

Officials in the remote province of Papua report they are considering a controversial measure to insert microchips into people with HIV/AIDS as a way of better monitoring their behavior and sexual activities. "We need to make a major breakthrough to speed up the fight against AIDS in Papua," said member of Parliament John Manansang. Lawmakers will likely consider public opinion before discussing the draft bylaw with the local government and seeking to enact it. AIDS activists and health workers have already slammed the proposal. Indonesia has one of Asia's fastest growing HIV rates, fueled primarily by drug use and prostitution. Papua's HIV rate is 15 times the national average. Health experts warn that if more action is not taken, Papua could see 1 million infections within a few years.

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