Pakistan is now the second-fastest growing rate of HIV in Asia, 519 people mostly children found positive
Around 519 people have found HIV Positive in the last two weeks in Pakistan's Sindh province, and most of them are children. However, the reason of being their HIV Positive is mainly being called as the cause to the use of unsanitary equipment unsafe blood transfusion and rampant malpractice - often at the hands quack doctors.
According to a report of UN, Pakistan now has the second highest-fastest growing rate of HIV positive cases in Asia. The country has about 20 thousand new infections in 2017 alone. Only on Wednesday, 39 cases of HIV were detected during the screening of people in Larkana district. This has led the HIV positive cases to over 500 in the last 17 days, a health official said.
As many as 23 children and five women were tested for HIV in the last screenings carried out in Ratodero town, where the highest cases of a number of HIV positive have been detected. Last month, provincial health authorities were alarmed when the case of HIV positive toll rose to 39 that also includes dozen of children. According to an inquiry by some health authorities, most of the infected children have visited a private clinic of a local paediatrician named Dr Muzaffar Ghandar, who himself was found an AIDS patient, in Ratodero of other ailments.
Ghangar, who is also worked at a public hospital in Ratodero is accused of infecting more than 50 patients, mostly children for using the single contaminated syringe. The doctor is now arrested and is currently under police custody. Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said that more screenings are being organized in the district to speed up the process.
Sindh health secretary Dr Saeed said that the majority of the case have found HIV Positive are children and the reason is infection rates across the country due to using the same injection. According to UNAIDS, around 600,000 doctors are in Pakistan and around 270,000 are practising in the Sindh province.
Also Read - President Donald Trump declares national emergency over telecoms threats
First published: 17 May 2019, 11:48 IST