Unsafe blood transfusion linked to spread of AIDS

LAHORE

Provincial AIDS Control Programme (PACP), Punjab Health Department, in collaboration with Govt College for Women Gulberg, organised an “Awareness Seminar on HIV/AIDS” at the college auditorium on Monday. College principal Ms Asmat Hashmi was the chief guest. 

Mohammad Faisal Majeed, Deputy Project Director, PACP briefed the audience about the situation of HIV/AIDS in the province. Rashid Munir, Ms Humaira Qureshi, Muhammad Usman, PACP, faculty members of the college and a large number of students attended the seminar.

According to a handout, Muhammad Faisal Majeed, Deputy Project Director, Punjab AIDS Control Programme gave an overview of current situation of HIV/AIDS in Punjab. He said awareness about the disease is a key to live a healthy life.

He said that unsafe blood transfusion, use of unsterilised medical/dental equipment, use of injectable drugs and indulging in immoral activities are the main causes of spreading of HIV/AIDS. He informed that Punjab AIDS Control Programme is leading the Provincial AIDS Response and is providing preventive, diagnostic and treatment services. The government is fully committed to providing funding for prevention and treatment of AIDS. Since year 2010, the government is funding the programme from its own resources.

He informed that diagnostic and treatment services are being provided through 9 Centres of Voluntary Counseling and testing Centres (VCCT), 13 Surveillance Centres, 10 Treatment Centres for adults and children and 6 Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) centres established in different public sector hospitals in Punjab.

More than 9,450 HIV positive people have been reported in Punjab till January, 2015. At present, a total number of 6,456 patients are registered and 4,213 are receiving regular Anti Retro Viral Therapy (ART) in Punjab. This is a life-long treatment.

He said the Programme is also providing treatment and care services to pregnant HIV positive females through its six Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) Centres established at Services Hospital, Rehnuma Family Hospital, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, DHQ Hospital, Gujrat, DHQ Hospital Sargodha and DHQ Hospital, Dera Ghazi Khan.

If no treatment had been provided during the pregnancy, 40pc of the children would have been HIV positive.

He said Punjab AIDS Control Programme has recently conducted Integrated Behavioral and Biological Surveillance (IBBS) in Punjab. He said told the audience that Punjab is the only province in Pakistan to conduct IBBS by itself. Earlier, four rounds of IBBS were conducted by CIDA funded HIV AIDS Surveillance Project.

Medical teams of PACP are providing treatment services to HIV positive prisoners. More than 50,000 prisoners were tested for HIV.

A total number of 311 prisoners were confirmed HIV positive on three serial test. Prevention is the only solution to protect oneself from this deadly disease, he said.