Dangerous medical practices lead to HIV epidemic in Pakistan's Sindh, 31 positive tests



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Islamabad: Thirty-one people were tested HIV-positive during a screening program conducted Saturday in the Pakistani province of Sindh, health authorities said in a survey conducted by international experts on HIV infection. WHO to verify the epidemic of the deadly virus.

New cases in Shikarpur district report an upsurge in HIV cases (human immunodeficiency virus) in Sindh after 215 positive cases, including 181 children, were reported in Ratodero district of Larkana the month last, reported Geo News.

According to district health official Shabbir Sheikh, 2,500 people were examined, 31 of whom tested positive, according to the report. Those who scored positive received treatment and other equipment in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) regulations.

A delegation of UN bodies, including the WHO, UNAIDS and UNICEF, is already in Karachi to help health authorities in Sindh to investigate the alarming epidemic HIV in the district.

The main reason for the spread of the HIV virus has been the use of dangerous blood, dangerous injections and unsafe practices, said WHO Representative Palitha Mahipala. Those affected urged the Sindh government to make anti-HIV drugs readily available in private drug stores, outside public hospitals, to facilitate access.

Health Minister of Sindh, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, said the legislation for the creation of a health commission to fight the HIV epidemic was over, did it? she said, reported the Express Tribune. Dr. Pechuho said the investigation had revealed that a large number of Sindh doctors were practicing dangerous medical practices. Efforts are being made to prevent them.

She also asked the federal government to allocate a certain amount of the budget to the production of auto-disable syringes in Pakistan, the report said. She said the recent outbreak was a sign that if the HIV problem was further neglected, it would create a dangerous situation.

Federal Minister of Health Dr Zafar Mirza also said that the federal and provincial governments are working together and that the recent HIV epidemic is a wake-up call to improve the health care system in the country.

He emphasized the need to make the HIV control program more effective at the national and provincial levels. He said Pakistan had the highest number of hepatitis B cases in the world and that hepatitis C was also becoming a daunting challenge, adding that it was not treated , HIV would also become a major problem.

Citizens also asked to take adequate measures to fight the disease. In total, 76.1 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV since the beginning of the epidemic in the 1980s. Some 35 million people have died, according to official figures.

Without treatment, people infected with HIV develop AIDS, a syndrome that weakens the immune system and exposes the body to opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis and certain types of cancer. The treatment has side effects and is expensive, but allows infected people to be healthier longer.

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