The Sindh Government’s Health Department has finally disclosed the number of registered HIV positive cases, on-treatment cases, and deaths in Larkana and Ratodero, which had been suppressed from media for personal gains.
According to Dr. Muhammad Naeem, Additional Director, Communicable Disease Control, HIV/AIDS, Sindh, there are 702 registered HIV positive child patients in Larkana, out of which 591 are receiving treatment and 113 have died.
In Ratodero, there are 2189 registered HIV positive children, out of which 2028 are on treatment and 105 have died from April 2019 till date.
Dr. Imran Akbar Arbani, who detected the first outbreak in Ratodero, said that 30% to 35% cases sent for blood screening are detected positive in a month.
The affected patients are also facing issues in getting proper medicines for coinfections.
Dr. Hola Ram, retired head of the HIV/AIDS Treatment Center of Chandka Hospital, suggested that screening must be made mandatory before marriage, quacks should be brought to justice, and mass awareness must be raised among villagers as prevention is better than management.
