LARKANA – As many as nine more cases of HIV-positive have emerged in Shikarpur city of Sindh on Thursday, taking the total number of such cases in the district in recent days to 22.
According to the officials concerned, the cases – including eight children – emerged during the day-long blood screening exercise, which would now be expanded.
The blood-screening was arranged by the provincial government after an outbreak of HIV-positive cases in Larkana.
Statistically, 517 people were tested in the Shikarpur villages of Dhakkan, Pirbakhsh Theem and Sarang Shar and unfortunately, in Dhakkan alone, eight children and a woman were detected as HIV-positive; one of the children is aged one.
After the emergence of the cases, a high-level meeting of the health department was convened under the chair of District Health Office Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh which arrived at a decision to expand the blood screening drive in Dhakkan and surrounding villages.
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The officials also stressed initiating an awareness campaign to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area; the participants were informed that the children identified as HIV-positive have been referred to the AIDS Treatment Centre in Larkana, where they will be treated free of cost under the Sindh AIDS Control Programme, Dawn News reported.
It was also revealed during the meeting that a primary reason behind the spread of HIV cases is quacks and unregistered laboratories and maternity homes, where syringes are reused on patients.
Besides Shikarpur, two people were tested positive for HIV in Tharparkar district.
Deputy Medical Superintendent of Mithi Civil Hospital Dr Chaman Sharma told reporters that a 28-year-old man from village Mithrio and a 30-year-old woman from Diplo town were found to have HIV after tests were conducted.
According to the doctor, the two people will undergo further tests to ascertain the required treatment.
