750 HIV positive cases in Jalalpur Jattan

LAHORE: The largest outbreak of HIV has been identified in a single area in the Gujrat district with at least 750 cases of HIV positive cases.

The Punjab AIDS Control Programme registered a total of 750 cases in Jalalpur Jattan, a Tehsil of the Gujrat district.

According to an inquiry report of the World Health Organization (WHO), the causes of the outbreak included transmission of HIV from expats, sex workers and quacks. As many as 550 patients are under treatment at four PACP Centres in Gujrat including Civil Hospital, Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, Prevention of Parents to Child Transmission Centre in DHQ Hospital and Mother and Child Centre.

The PACP is responsible for provision of medical examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients at these centres. The PACP has developed partnership with a charity infirmary namely Bashiran Begum Welfare Hospital, Nowshera Sharif in Tehsil Jalapur Jattan. The PACP provides consultation, testing and medicines to HIV patients in this charity hospital as a large number of HIV positive patients reside in a nearby Jogipur village.

As many as 120 safe deliveries have been conducted at Prevention of Parents to Child Transmission Centre “The PACP administered Anti-Retro Viral (ARV) injections to HIV-positive mothers free of cost, resulting in the birth of newborns absolutely HIV-free,” said Dr Asim Altaf, programme manager, PACP, Lahore.

In connection with the World AIDS Day commemorated on December 1, 2018, the PACP organized a province-wide awareness campaign at all tertiary care and DHQ hospitals in all 36 districts of Punjab. “It received a massive response as people largely participated in these awareness seminars, walks and rallies to educate themselves about prevention, importance of diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS,” said a spokesman of the Punjab AIDS Control Programme.

The PACP has intensified its efforts with screening of high-risk groups to identify more HIV patients and provide treatment to the patients across Punjab. The districts with the highest prevalence of HIV cases in Punjab include Lahore, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Kasur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Chiniot and Sargodha. In recent years, a high number of cases have also started to appear in Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan as the PACP expanded its scope of screening patients. “As many as 13,000 cases of confirmed HIV patients have been registered in Punjab,” the spokesman added.