The World Population Foundation has trotted out some educative statistics to mark this year's World Population Day. These include the information that there are 85,000 people between the ages of 20 and 44 years in this country who are infected with HIV/AIDS virus. The figure, of course, represents reported cases of the disease, which not long ago an expert had put at around 100,000.
It is possible that the incidence of the disease is much higher than this since a particularly nasty social stigma is attached to it, which forces most victims and their families to keep it as secret an affair as can be. Still, it is important that the subject is being discussed and the country has at least come out of a state of denial in relation to the incidence of AIDS.
To be fair, the government has also been running periodic public awareness campaigns to give people vital information on AIDS, such as that it is a communicable disease spread not through casual contact but through injecting of drugs and infected blood transfusions. And that it is a sexually transmitted disease.
Hence, those affected must not be ostracised by the community, but treated like normal people. The campaign needs to be carried on continually instead of an on-now-and-off-again fashion so that people start paying attention to its message. The few treatment facilities that are there must also be publicised properly. Those in need should know where to go rather than to suffer in isolation.
Aside from dissemination of information on the whys and hows of HIV/AIDS infection and the availability of treatment, the health authorities must pay special attention to the preventive side, focusing on high-risk areas and groups. One such area, of course, are the blood transfusion services at various government as well as private hospitals.
Even though they are required to observe a standard blood screening procedure to ensure against the presence of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis viruses, many bypass this important requirement, thus contributing to the spread of these deadly diseases among unsuspecting individuals. Here the consumer courts have a major role to play.
Only the fear of punishment in cases of negligence can alert others in the field to be careful and not to commit the same crime. Another important preventive measure would be for the government and NGOs to help the high-risk groups such as the injecting drug users (a report says 30 percent of such drug users in Karachi are infected with the HIV virus), female sex workers, truckers, gay couples, and jail inmates. This is a challenging task, and has to be dealt with in a non-judgmental and strong-willed manner. Handled right, it can prove to be particularly effective in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS.