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  • Jan 2nd, 2005
  • Comments Off on Pakistan may face HIV/AIDS outbreak
Pakistan may face HIV/AIDS outbreak because recently the majority of HIV/AIDS cases were reported among Pakistanis working abroad. This was disclosed in a report "AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2004", which presented the current situation of HIV/AIDS globally, conducted by Joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and World Health Organisation (WHO). The report said that majority of cases were reported among migrant Pakistani workers who had been deported from the Gulf States.

However, a recent information revealed HIV/AIDS outbreak among injecting drug users in small towns of Pakistan, especially in Sindh province.

Around 10 percent of the drug injectors were reportedly tested HIV/AIDS positive in Larkana.

The report said that 39.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world, 4.9 million newly infected adults and children are reported and 3.1 million people died of AIDS, till November 23, 2004.

In Asia, around 8.2 million people already living with HIV/AIDS, treatment, care and support need to move higher up in the agenda. In 2004, fewer than 6 percent of the estimated 170,000 people were receiving treatment in Asia.

The report informed that in Asia, only few countries are taking up the disease as challenge and the report added that only Thailand appears on the track to reach its target of providing 50,000 people treatment, while other committed themselves to drastically expand treatment access whereas China, Cambodia have pledged free treatment of deadly disease.

The report added that India and Indonesia also have pledged free treatment in several states.

The report said that four features of the epidemic in the region are still in their early stages, which mean that effective interventions can halt and reverse them.

Secondly, vast majority of people living with HIV are young, more than 80 percent of the reported infections are among people below 30 years of age.

Thirdly, sexual transmission of HIV is increasing in seriously infected countries. Fourthly, ongoing, social and economic transitions play its role in spread of the disease.

In Central America, where the epidemic is largely concentrated in major urban areas, the numbers of HIV infections have been rising. The report added that there is mismatch between prevention spending priorities and the main features of several countries.

Violence against women refers to range of behaviours, including physical assault, emotional abuse, sexual violence and a massive human rights and public health challenge and it increases women's vulnerability to HIV infections.

The report stated that prices of anti-retroviral medicines for HIV, in Central Asia and Eastern Europe are still among the highest in the world. The challenge will be to achieve the efficient co-ordination and programme management to put funds to effective use.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005


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