1st December; World AIDS Day

Each year whole world observe 1st December as World AIDs Day, With the theme of 'Universal Access and Human Rights---A Challenge',

World AIDS Day was observed here in Pakistan on Wednesday like other parts of the world with a resolve to raise awareness about the disease so as to create a healthy society in public and all the victims of HIV AIDs.

During 2009 some 2.6 million people became newly infected with the virus due to lack of awareness, cure and other care facilities and an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS in whole world.

To aware people, different NGOs and other organisations planned to hold walks, seminars and other programmes to spread awareness and support progress in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care of the disease. According to UNAID estimates, there are around 33.3 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children.

According to UNAID estimates, about 97,000 people were living with HIV in Pakistan at the end of 2009. Officially reported cases are, however, much lower. As in many countries, under reporting is due mainly to the social stigma attached to HIV, limited surveillance and voluntary counseling and testing systems, and the lack of knowledge among the general population and health practitioners.

 Health professionals said that Pakistan being signatory to the MDGs and Goal 6 is required to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by the year 2015. According to them, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the immune system, destroying or impairing their function. As the infection progresses, the immune system becomes weaker, and the person becomes more susceptible to infections. The most advanced stage of HIV infection is acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS; anti retroviral drugs can slow down the process even further.

A spokesperson of Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) said that sexual violence not only affects women physically, but it also affects their reproductive and sexual health, making them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. She said that people suffering from HIV/AIDS could not be denied basic human rights. She said" As per estimates, a million people acquire a sexually transmitted infection (STI) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) every day. In developing countries, STIs and their complications rank in the top five disease categories for which adults seek health care. Infection with STIs can lead to acute symptoms, chronic infection and serious delayed consequences such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer and the untimely death of infants and adults."


They said HIV/AIDS remains one of the world's most significant public health challenges, particularly in low and middle-income countries. "More than 95% of HIV infections are in developing countries, two-thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa, where over 28 million people are living with HIV. 

(Courtesy: Business Recorder.)