Prominent religious scholar Maulana Aftab Hussain Al Jawadi from the Jamia Al-Kausar has said we can protect our future generations from HIV/AIDS by educating our children about effective precautionary measures.
Maulana Aftab added this fatal disease can spread from one individual to another through unprotected sexual activity and infected blood transfusions.
Around 130,000 people in Pakistan are currently affected with AIDS, suggests a UN-AIDS 2011 report. The epidemic has spread from major urban centres to smaller cities and towns. For a long time, health policy makers had remained under the impression that either HIV incidences were non-existent, or too low. This has led to rampant increase in HIV cases. The government had included HIV/AIDS in the National Health Policy in 2009 for the first time. The report has moved Pakistan up from the ‘low prevalence – high risk’ category to a ‘concentrated epidemic’ and has initiated campaigns and studies.
HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact with an HIV infected partner. It can also be transferred through transfusion of HIV infected blood and sharing unsterilised syringes or needles with HIV positive persons.
AIDS awareness groups and other organisations have been working hard to control the epidemic. They fear that it will spread to the wider population if not controlled in time.
Awareness can protect future generations from HIV/AIDs: Al Jawadi
