Pakistan only country where 900 children affected with HIV
By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 06 Jan 2023
KARACHI Former head of Sindh Aids control program and infectious disease specialist Dr Sharaf Ali Shah said Pakistan is the only country in the world where 900 children are affected with HIV while one hundred 60 thousand AIDS patients are registered in Pakistan.
Furthermore in all around the world 2 million patents affected with AIDS, Larkana has the largest number of AIDS patients in Sindh after Karachi, where 38,000 patients screened this year from April to till to date and 1,150 people only in Ratodero found HIV positive.
This was stated by him at a seminar organized by Bridge Consultants Foundation on the World AIDS Day. An earlier awareness walk was led by Dr Sharaz Ali Shah.
On the occasion of a nutritionist, community workers and a large number of people from another walk of life participated. The families who participated were HIV positive for themselves or their family member affected.
He urged the people to have their HIV screening done because of its delayed diagnosis causes death, due to HIV, the patient’s immune system will be weakened. Causing the disease could be attacked to the person easily, which sometimes prove fatal, timely diagnosis of AIDS can lead to normal life using drug but some caution is necessary, so that the disease not transmit to other further he said three cause of the outbreak include blood transfusion, mother milk and sexually transmitted infections, such patients should be cautious about these reasons so that the disease does not spread to anyone, he said.
But it contains blood, it will be transmitted to its partner, it is not airborne disease, to shake hand, sleep with, eating food, eating leftovers, does not spread by this, he urged that use of unnecessary syringes should be avoided because unsafe syringes or ear plugs or such device also cause HIV in Pakistan.
Further he said HIV is detected during pregnancy, the baby does not have to buy 40% chances could be present in the baby, while if such a pregnant mother uses the drug for the disease the newly born baby will be normal.
He said avoid unsafe blood and always use screened blood in thalassemia patients. South Africa has the largest number of HIV Patients in the world but now India and China have more AIDS-infected patients.
He said such patient is diagnosed with delay due to non-screening in Pakistan which affects their quality of life, he said that 12 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis B and C. The exact number is unknown as post people in Pakistan do not have screening. This is very unfortunate in Pakistan HIV is growing rapidly in the country.
