94,000 Pakistanis may currently have HIV

Islamabad: While there has been some improvement in Pakistan’s response to HIV and AIDS during the last two years, the country needs to generate maximum resources to be able to minimise the existing gap in estimation and treatment. At present, an estimated 94,000 Pakistani may be having HIV, and this may just be the tip of the iceberg as the population’s response to testing is still very poor.
Views to this effect echoed at a press briefing organised Friday by the United Nations Information Centre, UNAIDS, UNICEF, and the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).
Speaking on the occasion, UNAIDS Country Representative Dr. Mahamdou Sakho said UNAIDS is striving hard to provide technical support to NACP in its response to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS patients. He shared that globally, an estimated 15.8 million people are now on HIV treatment, a doubling from five years ago, as countries adopt the UNAIDS Fast-Track Strategy using data to fine-tune delivery of HIV prevention and treatment services to reach people left behind.
“Prevention is still the ultimate priority when it comes to managing the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Pakistan,” he emphasised.
NACP National Manager Dr. Baseer Achakzai shared statistics about current estimates. He maintained that 94,000 people may have HIV, and the key population response to testing is still very low.
He said the government has established 21 treatment centres as well as community and home-based care and support centres in remotest areas to provide treatment to people at their doorsteps.
“As of today, 14,000 HIV cases have been registered, for which free testing and treatment services are available in these centres,” Dr. Achakzai said. He requested the media to support its awareness raising interventions so that people come forward for testing and treatment. Dr. Achakzai also emphasised the need for legislation to address stigmatization and discrimination towards the HIV community.
Dr. Nasir Sarfraz from Unicef appreciated NACP for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV with the support of Unicef.
UNIC Director Vittorio Cammarota said World AIDS Day is observed annually on December 1 to remind us that the HIV response needs our attention, because HIV has not gone away, and that many steps still need to be taken.
“The day aims to raise awareness on the HIV and AIDS situations/threat faced globally, in each region and in each country; highlight achievements over the year; and identify further steps that need to be taken to eliminate this disease,” he maintained.