Pakistan has followed the Asian Epidemic pattern i.e; shifting from low HIV prevalence to high prevalence concentrated among key populations at higher risk. Pakistan continues to have a concentrated HIV epidemic with an estimated HIV prevalence among the general population at less than 0.1%.
Geographically it is estimated that 93% of people living with HIV (n = 133,299) are found in the two major provinces in the country; Punjab (50%) and Sindh (43%). The epidemic is concentrated among key populations chief among which is People Who Inject Drugs (PWID).
PWID account for an estimated 43,554 of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA), and have an estimated prevalence rate of 38.4%. The latest round of IBBS indicates that the growth in HIV prevalence among PWID is plateauing while the prevalence growth rates in other key populations, for whom the main transmission route is sexual, is increasing.
The Sustainable Development Goals, underpinned by human rights, provide a frame work to leverage opportunities between the right to health and other rights, including the right to education, equality, non-discrimination, access to justice, privacy and food. Learning from the AIDS response, the World AIDS Day campaign will focus on the right to health, highlighting opportunities to leverage rights-based practices and behaviors to achieve more rapid and sustainable progress towards universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Addressing stigma and discrimination is an exceedingly important aspect of mitigating the effects of HIV. Stigma and discrimination is not only harmful for PLHIV and their families, but also leads to undesirable health behaviors that may aid the spread of HIV.
Throughout this campaign strategy, though it refers to World AIDS Day 2017, it pronounces a longer-term communication strategy based on the findings of the Integrated Biological and Behavioral Survey 2016-2017 and the development of a countrywide stigma reduction and HIV testing campaign with the involvement of the PLHIV sector.
To do this we need to ensure that health systems are strengthened to provide the essential services that are needed, more domestic resources to curb the new infections of HIV, engage the policy makers, UN agencies, the opinion leaders through a coordinated approach and with the support of CSOs for enabling environment and easy access to HIV free services.
Media is a potential stakeholder for messages to the public at large for awareness to seek HIV test and care through public sector institution free of cast. The efforts are to be made at all level that the communities are involved in decision making and as per their need and priorities. On World AIDS Day 2018 it is time to redouble our efforts, to fast-track our actions and close the gap.
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