Official estimates put the number of positive HIV/AIDS cases at 100,000 in Pakistan and around 50 percent of them are in Sindh alone, informed Dr Arshad Mehmood, programme manager of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme (SACP).

He said this during a seminar organized Tuesday under the banner of SCAP and UNAIDS at a local hotel. The main objective of the seminar was to encourage the media to play their equal role in preventing the spread of this deadly disease.

UNAIDS supports the government and the civil society in tackling the AIDS epidemic in Pakistan, said Mr. Arkadiusz Majszyk, the country coordinator of UNAIDS. He said, “This effort is a step towards developing a group of media leaders who can advocate and highlight the cause in Pakistan and also at a global level.”

The people who are HIV positive because of their high-risk behaviour, such as those indulging in commercial sex activities and drug injections, are not aware of their HIV status and can pass on the infection to their families and loved ones. The media can help educate the masses and protect them from AIDS.

In Pakistan, according to a careful estimate, there are above 3,800 recent positive HIV cases, out which 1,900 are from Sindh. This includes men, women and children. One of the main reasons for the number of cases being high in Sindh is that Karachi is like a mini-Pakistan with 20 million people and people come from all over to this city for employment opportunities. This influx has made it easier for this disease to spread in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.

According to Dr Syed Qamar Abbas, deputy programme manager of SACP, the media can help in developing an HIV/AIDS prevention programme with a focus on stigma and discrimination. It can also help in bringing out the large number of hidden cases.

Dr Abbas admitted that the number of cases is actually double than what is usually reported. “Five years ago, India went through the same denial phase. Now it is the epicenter of the disease with 6.5 million positive cases of HIV,” he said. “We have the same culture and social environment and most of the cases come from the high-risk group.”

The forum participants expressed their concerns and also assured that a strategy would be chalked out to encourage a friendly link between the programme and the people living with HIV/AIDS.

In the end, the forum recommended the establishment of an ad-hoc committee comprising journalists associated with various organizations. A detailed work plan is to be devised during the next forum meeting, the date of which will be announced at a later date.

Additional Secretary Health Niaz Memon, Public Health Director Khalid Shaikh, Member Provincial Assembly Naila Imam and Dr Salman Safdar were also present at the seminar.- [ By Shahzad Shah Jillani via DailyTimes]

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