HIV/AIDS: 1,080 cases detected in Sindh

More than 800 of the recorded patients are male. Patients also include 51 children.

KARACHI: According to the annual figures of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme (SACP), 1,080 cases have been detected all over Sindh in 2010, devastatingly more than the number of cases registered in 2009.

These patients include 51 children as opposed to last year’s six children.

While a complete report has not been compiled yet, more than 800 of the recorded patients are male.

SACP Programme Manager Dr Nafis Sohail said that the figure pertains only to the number of registered patients and there are thousands of unregistered HIV/Aids patients in the province.

She further added that the SACP was trying to create a friendly environment to encourage patients to come to their centres and receive proper treatment.

The manager also claimed that despite a lack of funds, SACP is doing its job very well and the government should take effective measures to protect residents from the deadly virus. The SACP has had a lot of trouble due to the non-allocation of funds by the Sindh government, which has only released Rs11 million for the salaries of more than 45 employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2011.