With an estimated 15,000 new HIV/AIDS cases are being reported every day across the globe, the 'World AIDS Day' was observed in different parts of the world including Pakistan on Thursday (December 1) with a renewed pledge that all out efforts would continue to be made to create AIDS free society by focussing on prevention through awareness.
To mark the day, various organisations across the country organised various programmes in which speakers called for waging efforts on emergent basis to check the spread of disease, which is on rise mainly due to lacking awareness and poor administrative control.
'Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.
About 95 percent of the total number of people with HIV live in the developing world. But HIV still remains a threat to people of all ages and nationalities', the speakers said.
A spokesman of Punjab AIDS Control Programme told Business Recorder here on Thursday that in many parts of the world, discrimination prevents people who are known to have HIV from securing a job or caring for their families. Discrimination can cause isolation and marginalises people who have HIV and AIDS. This can prevent people from being offered or seeking the treatment, he added.
The day's theme "Stop AIDS-keep the promise' focus on keeping commitments to stop AIDS at all levels: personal, community, organisational, governmental. It supports the World AIDS Campaign advocacy efforts for the fulfilment of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and subsequent policy commitments on AIDS.
A senior official in Health department Punjab told this scribe that although around 50 percent of people infected with HIV around the world are women and girls, there is currently no reliable information on how many of them receive treatment. 'Women are 2.5 times more susceptible to contracting AIDS than men due to a variety of factors. Social and religious stigmas also contribute heavily to the problem in a region where even discussing sex in any way is often taboo', he said.
"It is painful that women in the developing countries are generally more illiterate, having less mobility, a lower socio-economic status and less access to health care and education than men. This imbalance needs to be viewed as a key impediment not only to the prevention of AIDS, but also to development and good governance", he added.
According to experts, AIDS is a disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to the destruction of the immune system of the body. HIV infection is transmitted by three main sources ie sexual intercourse, transfusion of blood and blood products and from mother to child. The period between the occurrence of HIV infection and the appearance of AIDS symptoms varies from six months to more than 10 years.
They maintained that injectable drugs have added a new dimension of danger to the situation in Pakistan. These indigenous cases are all the more worrisome, as Pakistan has over four million drug addicts who may be in immediate danger of contracting AIDS and transmitting it to others because they are the most vulnerable section of society.
Not only do they reuse syringes for injecting drugs, a number of them are sex workers and many also sell blood when there is a cash crunch, they pointed. An action plan needs to be devised at the earliest to contain the spread of the disease. If this is ignored, the country may well find itself facing a major AIDS problem within the next couple of years, they added.
It may be mentioned that the AIDS Day emerged from the call by the World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention in January 1988 to open channels of communication, strengthen the exchange of information and experience, and forge a spirit of social tolerance.
The World Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Day is not just about raising money, but also about raising awareness, education and fighting prejudice. The day is also important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done. The Red Ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment. The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort, and as a result there is no official red ribbon, and many people make their own.
According to a recent UN report, "new data suggests that Pakistan could be on the verge of a serious HIV epidemic." Identifying the problem areas specific to Pakistan's context, the report says that a combination of risky behaviour and limited knowledge among drug addicts and sex workers favours the rapid spread of HIV.
'We are committed to supporting local, regional and international efforts against HIV/AIDS. Pakistan seeks to address the issue through domestic legislation and administrative action. We believe Pakistan has a role to play in the Asia Pacific region to fight the disease, an official of Ministry of Health told this scribe. He observed that poverty and gender inequalities have contributed to the spread of the disease among females, who comprise over 50 percent of total AIDS patients.
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