Speakers call for blood testing each year to prevent AIDS spread

LANDIKOTAL: The AIDS Control Programme on Wednesday arranged an awareness session at the Government Commerce College in Jamrud where speakers urged the participants to conduct their blood tests to stop spreading HIV that killed several people in Pakistan every year.

The session was attended by students from, elders, media persons and officials of Khyber district administration. Deputy Commissioner Mehmood Aslam Wazir was the chief guest, while District Education Officer Muhammad Jadoon Wazir and health officials also attended the event.

Speaking on the occasion, KP AIDS Programme in-charge doctor Durkhany Wali Khan said that not only sexual relations but used injections, barber tools, and unscreened blood infusion also communicated HIV from one person to another.

She said that poor awareness system and cultural taboos were the main causes that led to fast increase in HIV cases in the tribal areas.

Dr Durkhany said an HIV patient should not hesitate from undergoing diagnosis and get proper treatment. She said that a large number of AIDS victims in ex-Fata did not know about the lethal HIV they carry in their bodies. Dr Durkhany awareness sessions would be conducted in 10 selected places in the erstwhile Fata.

Another AIDS programme representative, Nadir, said that in the initial five to eight years, HIV AIDS symptoms do not appear in the human body. He said it was a must to test blood once a year.

Nadir said that in initial six months, lab tests do not detect HIV. He added that everyone should undergo tests every year. He said they have registered 738 HIV patients in the tribal districts.

The official said that 130 persons with HIV positive in Khyber, 62 from Mohmand, 34 from Orakzai, 148 from Kurram, 190 from North Waziristan, 113 from South Waziristan and 61 from Bajaur were receiving proper treatment from their health centre in Peshawar.

Mehmood Aslam Wazir said that care and use of safe blood can protect one from AIDs. He said dozens of people including women and children had died of HIV/AIDS because they did not diagnose it to get proper treatment.

He urged health officials, elders, and media to play their role to stop AIDS virus and save lives. Mehmood said that parents with HIV also infected their children and it could destroy generations.

The official said they were going to launch a crackdown against fake doctors and laboratories that spread HIV in the Khyber.