Health experts for community engagement to curb AIDS

ISLAMABAD: On the occasion of 'World AIDS Day,' health experts in Pakistan are urging greater community engagement, media awareness campaigns, and promotion of safe needle use, particularly for residents of remote areas to align with global goals to eradicate AIDS by 2030.

Dr Razia Kuniz Fatima, the National Coordinator for the Strengthening of Common Management Unit (CMU) for TB, HIV/AIDS under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, stressed the importance of taking necessary precautions to combat AIDS.

She urged media, influencers, and community leaders to actively participate in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS to prevent its spread.

Dr Fatima emphasised the need for collective efforts, innovative thinking, and outreach to marginalised populations to end the HIV epidemic.

She said Larkana had been identified as a high-risk area for HIV/AIDS in Sindh in 2022, with over 970 reported cases from January to November.

Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, Dr Fatima revealed that during the last 10 months of 2022, 9,773 people tested positive for HIV in Pakistan. She warned that without effective control measures, the number of HIV cases could escalate to millions, drawing parallels with the spread of diseases like hepatitis C.

Sharing statistics, she noted that over 70 percent of the affected individuals are male, 33pc are female, and only 3pc are children in the overall population of the country.

She assured that the government is taking necessary measures to safeguard the population against HIV, saying the current situation in Pakistan is not alarming so far.