Tag: HIV

  • World AIDS Day: More than 9,000 new HIV cases reported in Pakistan this year

    World AIDS Day: More than 9,000 new HIV cases reported in Pakistan this year

    December 1 is marked as World AIDS Day with people and communities around the globe showing solidarity with those living with HIV, raising awareness, while also remembering the ones who lost their lives battling the illness.

    According to the Ministry of Health, 9,284 new HIV patients have been diagnosed in Pakistan in 2023.

    About 900 to 1,000 new cases of HIV are reported every month, whereas earlier in 2022, more than 10,000 cases of HIV were reported.

    Most of the cases are reportedly documented in Punjab and Sindh, while people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are also diagnosed positive for HIV.

    Additionally, around 40 to 50 new cases are being reported every month from Islamabad and surrounding areas, including Kashmir.

    Most cases of HIV infections are found accidentally during routine tests, indicating that Pakistan needs to increase specific HIV testing.

  • World AIDS Day: PM vows to end stigma attached with HIV

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has shared a message on World AIDS Day, calling the increasing incidence of HIV “deeply worrying”.

    From his twitter, the Premier wrote, “The increasing incidence of HIV & AIDS among the children & adolescents is deeply worrying. I urge the Ministry of Health to focus on awareness about testing, prevention & treatment to fight scourge. On World AIDS Day today, let us all vow to end the stigma attached with HIV.”

    The number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections is on the rise in the country, particularly in Sindh and Islamabad.

    Sindh government on Monday announced launching a mobile application for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening test.

  • HIV spread in Sindh: Govt to launch mobile app for screening test

    HIV spread in Sindh: Govt to launch mobile app for screening test

    Sindh government on Monday announced launching a mobile application for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening test, Samaa has reported.

    Head of Communicable Disease Control Program of Sindh Health Department, Dr Ershad Kazmi, while addressing an awareness session on HIV at Karachi Press Club said that there are some people who want to get tested for HIV but want to keep their identity hidden.

    He said that this application is being launched for such individuals to get tested without revealing their identity.

    The UNAIDS research estimates that 0.21 million persons in Pakistan are HIV positive.

    According to Dr. Ershad, 19,766 of the 90,300 HIV-positive individuals in the country are registered in Sindh and are receiving free medical care from the government.

    1,500 transgender people were registered in Sindh through the UNDP HIV Program.

  • Bilawal in Parliament says not expected from a player like Imran Khan to impose taxes on condoms

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during his speech in the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday lamented how the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has imposed taxes on the people of Pakistan.

    Talking about a list of items on which the government-imposed taxes, Bilawal said that the people of Pakistan are in pain. He said, “It is always said [by the goverment] that Pakistan does not have inflation, this is not based on reality. If you see the statistic, Pakistan has the most inflation as compared to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India.”

    Asking for the Speaker’s attention, Bilawal said, “Speaker Sahib, tax on contraceptives has been imposed as well.”

    “It was not expected from a khiladi [player] like [Prime Minister (PM)] Imran Khan to impose a tax on contraceptives as well,” said Bilawal.

    “Sir, contraceptives are not a laughing matter. There is a population explosion in regions of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. You [PM Khan] are not even providing basic needs to the [people] in terms of food, sufficient jobs, education, and health. The entire world is supporting this sector and you are imposing a tax on contraceptives,” said Bilawal.

    The PPP chairman further said, “There is a crisis of HIV and AIDS, which is not being informed to the people. This a very serious matter.”

    “Through this mini-budget, by imposing a tax on contraceptives, you have proved to the nation that Imran Khan Sahib has imposed a tax on everything and did not leave [contraceptives] out of it. Khan Sahib is imposing a tax on an infant’s food, milk this is a direct hit on the weakest class in our society. You [Imran Khan] have literally snatched food from a child’s mouth.”

    “You are damaging women’s empowerment. You are damaging the right of choice and independence of women,” said the PPP leader.

    “Both your [Imran Khan] decisions [to impose a tax on contraceptives and milk, food products of infants] will have historic damage,” said Bilawal Bhutto.

    However, it is pertinent to mention here that the most common contraceptives that are available in the market which are being taxed are condoms.

  • 5.28% of blood donors in Sindh infected with HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases

    5.28% of blood donors in Sindh infected with HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases

    The Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) has revealed that a total of 1,357 people were diagnosed with HIV in Sindh during the first eight months of 2021 after their blood samples were tested at the blood banks in 24 districts of the province, Waqar Bhatti reported for Geo News.

    “During the first eight months of this year, around 455,742 donors donated their blood at 166 blood banks in the 24 districts of Sindh, of which 1,357 donors were found to be infected with HIV, which amounts to 0.29% of the samples,” Dr Durre Naz Jamal, the SBTA director, revealed in a meeting of the provincial health department.

    “Of the 455,742 blood samples tested in the province, around 24,088 were found reactive or infected with either of five different diseases,” Dr Durre Naz said as she explained that 5.28% (24,088) of the donors were diagnosed with one or more infectious diseases and could not donate blood.
    Blood samples in Pakistan are screened for five infectious diseases — HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and malaria — to prevent recipients from having these diseases through blood transfusion but sometimes, unscreened blood is transfused to people as most of the blood banks lack the facility of nucleic acid testing (NAT), a molecular technique for screening the donated blood.

    The SBTA data presented to the provincial health minister revealed that 8,155 or 1.79% of blood donors in Sindh were infected with hepatitis B while 7,995 or 1.75% were infected with hepatitis C.

    In addition to that, as many as 6,142 blood donors were found to be infected with syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection. The percentage of the donors infected with syphilis was 1.34, Dr Durre Naz said, adding that 448 blood donors had also been found to be infected with malaria.
    According to the data presented to the health department, the highest number of blood donors infected with HIV were found in Karachi’s District East where 653 persons were found to have HIV in their blood, followed by District South of Karachi, where 431 blood donors were found to be infected with HIV.

    Similarly, Karachi’s District South had the highest number of blood donors infected with hepatitis B and C, where 2,603 donors were found to be infected with HBV and 2,923 blood donors with HCV.

    Directing the SBTA to strictly implement the screening system for safe blood transfusion across the province, Dr Pechuho said a dashboard of blood screening results should be immediately established to prevent the spread of diseases caused by blood transfusions.