High-level meeting summoned to discuss HIV, AIDS outspread in Sindh

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has summoned a high-level meeting on July 9 (tomorrow) to discuss special measures to stop HIV/AIDS outspread in Sindh, ARY News reported on Monday.

Sources told ARY News that the federal government has decided to take international organisations into confidence over emerging cases of HIV AIDS in Ratodero taluka of Sindh province.

Sources privy to the Ministry of Health said that a high-level meeting was summoned on Tuesday (tomorrow) under the chair of Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza.

Read: CM Sindh announces establishment of endowment funds for HIV, AIDS patients

The meeting will also be attended by Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNAIDS Pakistan, Field Epidemiology & Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) resident adviser, National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) chairman Dr Baseer Achakzai and others.

The high-level officials will review the pandemic situation of AIDS in Ratodero taluka besides giving a briefing to Dr Baseer Achakzai, National AIDS Control Programme’s (NACP) chairman, to finalise the strategy to stop the outspread.

Sources added that the strategies will be devised after consultations with the international organisations.

Read: HIV crisis: PM aide Zafar Mirza visits Sukkur and Larkana

Earlier on June 20, it emerged that the Sindh’s Larkana city had witnessed the tally reaching 826 patients out of which 680 are told to be children after an alarming rise in cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Whereas, adult men and women who are diagnosed with the dangerous virus has reached 146. Previously the number of those diagnosed with the virus were reported to be 812 on June 18.