Better safe than sorry: Karachi tops the list in Sindh for HIV+ cases
Amount of cases registered show that awareness campaigns are doing their job.
KARACHI:
Female sex workers have the lowest HIV/Aids rate and Karachi tops the list for Sindh, say experts.
Data from the Aids control programme up to June 2012 shows that most of the cases in Sindh are registered in Karachi (3,569 HIV+ and 57 Aids). Larkana ranks second with 238 HIV+ and three Aids cases.
The highest number of cases are found among drug users followed by male sex workers and then transgender sex workers. A rise in cases across the province has threatened the prospects of controlling the spread of the virus. On the flipside, experts say that people are becoming more aware, which is a good sign.
“Initially, the stigma attached to the disease made patients reluctant to come forward, therefore the numbers of actual cases were higher than those registered,” said Dr M Munawwar Khan of the Enhanced HIV/Aids Control Programme. Media messages are working.
He added that the younger generation of Pakistanis is at most risk. “The figures show that only 26% of young drug users use a condom during sex. Similarly, only 13% of them get tested for HIV and know about their infection.”
Cases registered
Data shows that out of 4,971 cases registered in Sindh, 4,712 are HIV+ and 215 are in advanced stages of Aids. Around 45% to 50% of the country’s total number of cases are registered in Sindh, higher than any other province.
The virus is more common in men. Of the HIV+ cases, 4,457 are male, out of which 4,428 are adults and 29 are boys. There are 255 HIV+ female cases and out of those, 232 are adult and 23 are girls.
Knowing the risks
“The lack of knowledge and skills to protect oneself from the disease, poverty, social exclusion, sexual abuse and exploitation, gender inequality and inaccessibility to services are among the main risk factors,” said Khan. He added that those living or working on the street with no parental or family supervision are the most vulnerable. “Friends or peers who participate in unsafe behaviour can tend to put psychological pressure on a young individual.”
The programme’s monitoring and evaluation officer, Dr Aftab Ahmed, said treatment costs around Rs5,000 and the investigation costs are higher at around Rs10,000. The Sindh government has established two centres, one each for adults and children, at Civil Hospital, Karachi. There is one centre at the Chandka Medical College in Larkana, one at Aga Khan University Hospital and one at Indus hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2012.
Female sex workers have the lowest HIV/Aids rate and Karachi tops the list for Sindh, say experts.
Data from the Aids control programme up to June 2012 shows that most of the cases in Sindh are registered in Karachi (3,569 HIV+ and 57 Aids). Larkana ranks second with 238 HIV+ and three Aids cases.
The highest number of cases are found among drug users followed by male sex workers and then transgender sex workers. A rise in cases across the province has threatened the prospects of controlling the spread of the virus. On the flipside, experts say that people are becoming more aware, which is a good sign.
“Initially, the stigma attached to the disease made patients reluctant to come forward, therefore the numbers of actual cases were higher than those registered,” said Dr M Munawwar Khan of the Enhanced HIV/Aids Control Programme. Media messages are working.
He added that the younger generation of Pakistanis is at most risk. “The figures show that only 26% of young drug users use a condom during sex. Similarly, only 13% of them get tested for HIV and know about their infection.”
Cases registered
Data shows that out of 4,971 cases registered in Sindh, 4,712 are HIV+ and 215 are in advanced stages of Aids. Around 45% to 50% of the country’s total number of cases are registered in Sindh, higher than any other province.
The virus is more common in men. Of the HIV+ cases, 4,457 are male, out of which 4,428 are adults and 29 are boys. There are 255 HIV+ female cases and out of those, 232 are adult and 23 are girls.
Knowing the risks
“The lack of knowledge and skills to protect oneself from the disease, poverty, social exclusion, sexual abuse and exploitation, gender inequality and inaccessibility to services are among the main risk factors,” said Khan. He added that those living or working on the street with no parental or family supervision are the most vulnerable. “Friends or peers who participate in unsafe behaviour can tend to put psychological pressure on a young individual.”
The programme’s monitoring and evaluation officer, Dr Aftab Ahmed, said treatment costs around Rs5,000 and the investigation costs are higher at around Rs10,000. The Sindh government has established two centres, one each for adults and children, at Civil Hospital, Karachi. There is one centre at the Chandka Medical College in Larkana, one at Aga Khan University Hospital and one at Indus hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2012.