Quetta: Provincial Coordinator Balochistan AIDS Control Program Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Baloch on Friday said that currently, the number of AIDS patients in Pakistan was around 210,000, out of which only 49,584 were registered.
He expressed these views while addressing a seminar held at Quetta Press Club in collaboration with Balochistan AIDS Control and UNICEF on the ‘Role of Religious Leaders and Media in Preventing HIV/AIDS’.
In their separate addresses on the occasion, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Baloch, Training and NGO Coordinator (BACP) Muhammad Ashfaq, religious leaders Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, Dr. KD Usmani, Maulana Ahsan-ul-Haq, Qari Abdul Hafeez, Zakir Usmani, Ehsanullah and others said that scholars, journalists and people belonging to other schools of thought would have to play their role to prevent the growing disease of AIDS.
They said that HIV and AIDS was a very dangerous disease, at that time the whole world was worried about the spread of this disease and the human cost that was worried about the loss of lives, so far, millions of people had died from this disease.
They said that those affected by this disease were forced to live a very painful and painful life, the most worrying thing was that after getting AIDS, complete recovery is not possible, so special attention needs to be paid to measures to prevent and cure this disease.
They highlighted that the first case of AIDS appeared in the world in the 1980s and it quickly became an epidemic, African countries were the most affected by this disease, but gradually all developing and developed countries were caught in its grip.
The speakers mentioned that according to 2021 data, the number of people infected with the HIV virus worldwide is around 38 million, 1.5 million people are falling victim to this disease annually, so far, 34 million people have died from AIDS or its related diseases, most of which are between the ages of 15 and 24.
According to an estimate, about 40 percent of people infected with HIV are young people, which is a moment of concern for all of us, they said.
They noted that the HIV and AIDS disease began in Pakistan in 1987 and from 2010 to 20211, there has been an 84 percent increase in the rate of people infected with the virus.
They stated that according to the 2022 data of UNAIDS, currently an estimated 210,000 people are suffering from HIV or AIDS in Pakistan, but only about 49,584 people have registered themselves.
Out of these, 29,626 people are using medicines, which is up to 13%, while according to the global target, the rate of patients using medicines should be up to 95 percent, they said.
They said that people from every school of thought, including scholars, teachers, doctors, lawyers, journalists, should play their role in preventing AIDS. It is necessary to in our society, scholars are viewed with great respect and honor and they have a unique position.
They urged scholars should play their role in providing awareness and knowledge to the public.