Three out of 41 people were confirmed HIV positive at a screening camp established at Taluka Headquarter Hospital, bringing the total number of infected persons to 1,284 so far out of the 39,739 people screened in the area.
Most of the HIV positive patients are children aged up to 10 years, as their number has reached 1,005 – 615 boys and 390 girls. In addition to that, 201 women and 78 men are found to be infected with the disease. The screening was launched by the Sindh AIDS Control Programme (SACP) on April 25, 2019, and since then it is working on all working days.
Since January 27, as many as 17 new HIV cases have emerged at a time when the number of positive cases was 1,267, which shows that more HIV infected people are living in the area, but are yet to be tested.
People are gradually reaching the camp for screening. Most vulnerable members of society, such as male sex workers, female sex workers, intravenous drug users (IDUs) and eunuchs have not yet been tested. According to experts, this viral disease is mostly available among them, and they are roaming freely in every street of the district without any check, thus they are also one of the main sources of the spread of the disease. They have not yet been brought to the camp for testing for fear of another major outbreak, which will further aggravate the prevalent situation.
Hepatitis and other waterborne diseases are adding to the miseries of the residents of this ever-growing town, and these issues had never been addressed in the past. The residents have demanded immediate resolution of their health issues.
