AIDS is a scary disease particularly because of the way it has been demonized by mainstream media, internationally. It is certainly a deadly disease but the stigma attached to it leads to a complete lack of awareness and therefore uncontrolled spread. Something similar seems to be happening in Pakistan right now. After terrorizing the people of Larkana in the district of Sindh, there is an alarming surge in HIV/AIDS virus being reported in Faisalabad.

According to a the Punjab AIDS Control Program (PACP), more than 2800 patients have been registered at the Faisalabad Allied Hospital

The hospital is catering to HIV positive patients and providing free treatment and guidance on protection from AIDS.

Apart from Faisalabad, similar cases have been reported in other districts in Punjab – Chiniot, Sahiwal, Jhang and Nankana – so far.  PACP receives 70 to 90 cases of the ailment monthly from these five districts. The figures are said can go up in the days to come.

The case of the doctor in Larkana who infected 45 people with AIDS caught media attention and made national news

Many international medical teams came to Pakistan after the incident to monitor the event and make sure no such activities take place in the future. However, the recent hike in reported cases of HIV-positive persons in these areas only prove that neither the provincial government nor the district administrations so far organized any screening camps to know the reasons for such a high number of the HIV patients.

It is shocking that instead of highlighting the issue, the provincial authorities tried to sweep the issue under the carpet to save their skin

The PACP staff was strictly warned against leaking any information with regard to the severity of the incident in Punjab. The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), however, expressed serious concerns over the situation.

The PMA Faisalabad pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) had already warned Pakistan that it was registering approximately 20,000 new HIV/AIDS cases annually, the highest rate in the region.

According to findings, contributing factors to the surge in these incidents have to do with the taboo associated with sex education in our society. Religious conservationists are a hurdle in spreading awareness about safe sex.

Instead of hiding the facts, the PMA said they would take up the issue to the concerned authorities to help fight the spread of this disease but most of all the most important thing to do as a community is remove the stigma around sexuality, sex and topics of sexual healthcare. Only by being able to discuss these things will we be able to tackle these issues.

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Cover Image via Allied Hospital (PMC) Faisalabad via Facebook / rand.org