Four more HIV cases confirmed in Shikarpur, number jumps to 36

SHIKARPUR: The number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients in Sindh increasing with every passing day as four more cases of HIV were reported from Shikarpur on Tuesday, citing sources ARY News reported.

As per details, 356 people were screened for the potentially life-threatening condition of HIV in Shikarpur’s village of Dakhan, from which four were tested positive.

With the latest inclusion of four more HIV patients, the number of affected people in the district Shikarpur has jumped to 36, sources said.

The steps being taken out by the Sindh government to control over this life threatening disease seems to be not enough as the number is jumping with every passing day.

Taking notice of the alarming situation, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for National Health Dr Zafar Mirza had written a letter to the WHO and requested for immediately sending a team of experts to Pakistan to visit the areas affected by the HIV epidemic.

Pakistan had also requested the world health body to provide diagnostic kits for HIV Aids.

The prime minister’s aide in his letter asked the WHO to immediately provide 50,000 HIV diagnostic kits for the crisis areas adding that the HIV cases have reached to epidemic level in Larkana district.

“Around 500 infected patients are children between two years to 15 years of age,” the letter to WHO said.

The federal government has been in contact with the government of Sindh over the HIV crisis, the letter added.