ISLAMABAD: UNAIDS Rep. Rajwal Khan today stressed here the need for providing information to masses about HIV-AIDS.
The incumbent government is working hard to prevent HIV transmission with measures such as safe blood transfusions, the establishment of surveillance and dealing with HIV-related stigma, The organizations active in the health sector must take steps to create awareness among general public so that the dream of a healthy nation could be translated into reality, Dr. Rajwal added. He explained, UNAIDS has been focusing on HIV prevention and on case study as the test to know the status of HIV is very cheap and easy. “It is better for everyone to know the status as the majority of people in Pakistan do not know they have HIV,” he added.
He said the UNAIDS has been working to facilitate and provide a platform among partners by adopting good practices of other countries to achieve positive results. The epidemic trend is moving from low prevalence to high risk due to the steady increase in the number of persons injecting drugs regularly for non-therapeutic purposes. The media should also give preference to public needs and arrange programmes in the light of the very fact as HIV epidemic on alarming situation in the country, he mentioned. Dr. Rajwal warned people to be brave and get tested for HIV as a blood test can tell if you have HIV infection.
There is no cure so far, but there are many medicines that fight HIV infection and lower the risk of infecting others, said, adding, People who get early treatment can live with the disease for a long time. The first signs of HIV infection may be swollen glands and flu-like symptoms. These may come and go within two to four weeks. Severe symptoms may not appear until months or years later, he highlighted. HIV may also spread by sharing drug needles or through contact with the blood of an infected person, adds, Women can give it to their babies during pregnancy or childbirth.
Each year, he said, this disease claims thousands of lives around the world. Pakistan, he added, was not immune and is facing a growing challenge from this menace. Programme Manager AIDS Control Dr. Abdul Basir Achakzai said, “We are doing a lot and a lot more needs to be done, he said. HIV is just like diabetes, blood pressure or any other disease, adding, the disease is not that prevalent in the country, but Pakistan is still one of the high-risk areas because people do not have awareness about the disease”.
One of the most important factors in care of HIV disease is training and counseling of family members, Dr suggested. He said that the government was striving to advocate for more concerted action to prevent HIV and provide those who were living with HIV the lifesaving treatment they need in a manner that respects both human rights and their dignity. He said that communities, policymakers, providers and partners must work together to achieve a reduction in new infections in the affected population. He said that new HIV infections cannot be stopped without adopting combination prevention approaches.
