Over 40,000 people in K-P live with HIV

Officials warn daily new infections and unsafe practices are driving a silent spread

PESHAWAR:

Nearly 40,000 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with 15 to 20 new cases reported daily, provincial health officials revealed on World AIDS Day.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday, Dr Tariq Hayat Taj, Director of the Provincial AIDS Control Program, said only around 9,800 patients are officially registered. He warned that the real number is far higher, as many people avoid testing due to social stigma and fear of discrimination.

"Due to harsh societal attitudes, many patients are afraid to get tested," Dr Tariq said, emphasizing that this reluctance is fueling the silent spread of the virus.

He highlighted unsafe medical practices, including quack doctors, illegal street clinics, and repeated use of single syringes, as major contributors to rising infections. Dr Taj urged the Health Regulatory Authority to take decisive action against such practices.

"Single contaminated syringes, if reused, can rapidly spread the virus," he cautioned, while noting that HIV is no longer untreatable. Patients in K-P are being provided free medicines and lifelong treatment by the provincial government.

According to UN estimates, approximately 40,000 people in K-P and 330,000 across Pakistan are living with HIV, a figure officials called "extremely alarming."

During vaccination drives at high-risk areas such as Iqbal Plaza in Peshawar, 197 transgender individuals tested positive for HIV. Dr Tariq confirmed that all affected individuals are now receiving treatment.

The virus, he explained, is not limited to sexual transmission. "It can spread through infected needles, unsterilized equipment at barbershops and beauty salons, and other unsafe practices," he said.

Currently, about 60 per cent of HIV patients in K-P are men, 30 per cent women, and 10 per cent transgender individuals. Drug users, transgender communities, and sex workers are the most vulnerable groups. "The general population is no longer safe, the virus is silently spreading beyond high-risk groups," Dr Tariq warned.