Daily Times

Seven new HIV positive cases were detected at Taluka Headquarters Hospital (THQ) on Wednesday. The total number of such patients has now climbed to 792 since the screening process started in the area on April 25, 2019.

However, no case was found at Rural Health Centers (RHCs) of Naundero and Banguldero and Basic Health Units (BHUs) of Pir Bux Bhutto and Lashari villages, where 43 people were screened. People continue to visit screening camps for getting themselves tested for HIV after the sudden outbreak in and around Ratodero town of Larkana district.

So far, 27,020 people from the general population have been screened for the disease. A total of 792 people have been diagnosed with HIV, including 650 children. Health officials said that the camp would continue its operation as long as people kept visiting the camps.

Separately, Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Masood Ahmed Solangi on Wednesday sent a report over the HIV situation to the Sindh government.

According to the report, 26,713 people have been screened at Ratodero since April 25. Out of them, 773 people have been found to be infected with HIV virus.

The report further revealed that out of the 773 patients, there were 497 children aged between 1 to 5. A total of 138 infected children are between the ages of 6 to 15. Moreover, the total number of people aged between 16 to 45 years is 138. The ratio of infected children is 72 percent.

Residents said that the main cause of the spread of HIV was the unsafe practices of barbers, dentists and quacks. The use of contaminated surgical instruments and needles is the main reason behind the outbreak.

Following the alarming HIV outbreak in Ratodero, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNAIDS and the local AIDS control authorities have decided to launch a HIV Biological and Behavioral Survey in the five major jails of the province to find out HIV cases among prisoners.