Initiative: Drop in HIV cases linked to birth control

Experts give credit to successive govt campaigns for the decline

PESHAWAR: Increase in the use of contraceptives has considerably brought down the number of cases of 19 sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, hepatitis and some skin disorders in 2016.

Experts not only credit successive campaigns and awareness programmes against communicable diseases but also the government and non-government organisations for taking the initiative of distributing condoms.

“A huge number of prisoners are infected with skin diseases and the major reason for this is unprotected sex,” a senior official at the health department’s data collection centre told The Express Tribune.

The official stated that a project was initiated during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) government across K-P in which condoms were distributed in prisons. However, the program had to be rolled back following criticism for allegedly promoting sex in prisons.

According to reports carrying details for the third quarter of 2015, some 3,128 cases of sexually transmitted infections were confirmed by health facilities from across the province, a figure that dropped to 2,311 cases in the third quarter of 2016.

According to an official report, not a single case of HIV/AIDs was registered in the third quarter of 2016 as compared to eight cases in 2015.

The number of suspected viral hepatitis cases confirmed in the third quarter of 2015 was 13,691 but it declined to 12,860 in 2016. Around 22 out of 944 people died of hepatitis A, C and E in the third quarter of 2015.

Officials claim the number was reduced with awareness sessions, among which the use of contraceptives is regarded as the most important step.

As many as 153,862 condoms were distributed across the province until the third quarter of the current year.

As per official documents, 20,539 condoms were distributed in Charsadda but the number was reported slightly higher in 2016 with 21,748 condoms. People in Kohat received 14,678 condoms last year, which rose to 15,136 in 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2016.