Treating HIV

A news that a baby in the US was cured of HIV has led to lots of speculation that the virus may become completely treatable. That seems like a bit of a stretch right now. The circumstances in this case were unique, with the virus detected early enough to aggressively treat it. Already, in most cases, doctors can prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child through the use of drugs and by not allowing breastfeeding. As heartening as this case is, its application to other HIV patients will be minimal.

We should also keep in mind that AIDS should no longer be the killer that it once was in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the emergence of antiretroviral therapies has ensured that those with HIV/AIDS do not have a significantly shorter lifespan than others. The problem, essentially, has been one of distribution. A significant majority of the world’s AIDS/HIV-afflicted population lives in sub-Saharan Africa, where antiretroviral drugs can be hard to come by because of the cost. It is the job of international health organisations and governments to ensure that every patient has access to the treatment he or she requires. Ameliorating the effects of AIDS just requires will and education.

Both these attributes are sadly missing in Pakistan. We do not even have any idea how many affected patients there are in the country, with estimates ranging from the ludicrously low figure of 14,000 to the more plausible 125,000 people. Out of this, only about 1,000 people are currently receiving free treatment. We, as a country, have ignored the AIDS epidemic. Not only have we refused to help those who are infected, the government has also done very little to educate the rest of the country on HIV/AIDS — how to take precautions against being infected and what to do once you have been infected. Religious and social taboos have made this task even harder. As Pakistanis, waiting for a miracle cure is the last thing we should be doing; education is far more important.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2013.