–Punjab has 60,000 HIV/AIDS patients
The number of HIV/AIDS patients in Pakistan has reached 132,000 following an addition of 39,000 cases over the last year, a nationwide survey HIV/AIDS reported stated, which will be made public next week.
About 60 teams visited 20 cities across the country and collected data from 5,000 locations. The survey revealed that Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, has the highest number of HIV/AIDS patients — 60,000. There are up to 52,000 patients in Sindh and 11,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while three cases were reported in Balochistan. In the federal capital Islamabad, there are 6,000 registered HIV/AIDS patients.
The initial report stated that intravenous drug users are the largest group of people infected by the disease.
According to Encyclopedia of public health, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. It harms a person’s immune system by destroying the white blood cells that fight infection. This puts them at risk of serious infections and certain cancers. AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is the final stage of infection with HIV. Not everyone with HIV develops AIDS.
The World Health Organisation said HIV is spread primarily through unprotected sex, contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. Some bodily fluids, such as saliva and tears, do not transmit HIV.
Methods of prevention include safe sex, needle exchange programmes, treating those who are infected, and male circumcision. Disease in a baby can often be prevented by giving both the mother and child antiretroviral medication.
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.
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. People who get early treatment can live with the disease for a long time.
