As many as 28 new HIV positive cases have been detected at HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Centre at Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Larkana during the last two months, raising the HIV registered patients toll to 1,195.
Over 20 more blood samples are pending confirmation in Karachi which were initially tested positive at this centre, sources further revealed.
This centre is working since 2007 without Viral Load Test (VLT) facility and all affected poor patients, including kids, are forced to get this test from Karachi at their own travelling costs.
The Larkana district continues to top the list as 627 HIV patients belong to this area, Kambar Shahdadkot has 172 patients, home district of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah Khairpur Mirs has 104 patients and Dadu has 103 patients.
Out of total 1,195, as many as 101 patients have died so far. According to detailed statistics, 626 HIV patients are between 18 to 30 years of age, 336 between 31 and 40, 135 between 41 and 50, 36 between 51 and 60, ten between 61 and 70, 36 below 18 years and 16 are children. As many as 944 patients are male, 206 female, 29 transgenders and 16 are children.
As many as 88 are also suffering from Hepatitis C out of which 83 patients are male and five are female. Fourteen patients are infected with Hepatitis B out of which 10 are male, three are female and one is eunuch. As many as 42 HIV positive patients are on anti-koch treatment out of which 42 are male and six are female. As many as 700 patients are on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) out of which 550 are male, 132 are female, four children and 14 transgenders and 23 patients have defaulted so far out of which 17 are male, one female and five eunuchs.
The surfacing of large number of HIV positive patients in Larkana and its adjoining districts show that this centre is of paramount importance and needs to be equipped with the modern facilities. It is, however, upsetting that the government has not yet provided the VLT facility.
