While the cases of HIV/AIDS have decreased globally, in Pakistan they have increased by more than 75% between 2010 and 2020. According to health officials, the country is currently facing a concentrated epidemic. The heavy stigma attached to the disease has impeded efforts to create awareness about the condition and prevention measures. Consequently, as many as 23% of the 210,000 people affected with HIV are not fully aware of their disease. Health officials believe that the real figure can be higher because not all patients seek treatment due to taboos.
Presently, all four provinces have active HIV/AIDS cases with 90,000 HIV registered patients in Sindh alone. Syringe reuse, blood transfusions and a lack of testing are some of the primary reasons for the unabated spread of the disease. The risks of contracting the disease are higher in urban areas compared to rural ones due to urban dynamics. Unfortunately, both the government and the public have failed to take the issue seriously. However, the increase in the spread of the disease should compel health authorities to improve awareness and form a coherent strategy to tackle the disease.
The Sindh healthcare department has already undertaken multiple steps to somewhat control the spread of HIV. Besides increasing screening across the province and establishing HIV centres in Karachi, Sindh became the first province to introduce a community-based oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) which is a medicine taken to prevent contracting HIV. Federal and other provincial healthcare departments must also amplify efforts to curb the spread of the fatal disease, otherwise it can become a major health challenge for the country. It is crucial to destigmatise HIV/AIDS through public awareness campaigns to encourage patients to seek treatment and see some success in disease surveillance programmes.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2022.
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