Abstract

Recently Pakistan has been identified as a country with a concentrated epidemic of HIV/AIDS. The latest report by UNAIDS has placed Pakistan on a list of 11 countries with the highest prevalence rates of HIV/ AIDS. Whereas in other countries, the incidence of HIV/ AIDS is decreasing, there has been a disturbing upsurge in the disease in Pakistan. The number of registered cases escalated from 3325 in March 2010 to a huge 49,584 by December 2021. Sexual mode of spread accounts for 45.10% of the cases, while transfusion of contaminated blood or blood components and unsafe injection practices have been identified as the main source of the outstanding, along with certain other factors. The recent outbreak of AIDS in a small district of Sindh province where 80% of the victims were kids has been linked to the transfusion of polluted blood. There is a paucity of healthy volunteer blood donations in the country and unfortunately, many injection drug users are found to be professional blood donors. Inadequacy of screening of the donated blood thus makes the environment favorable for the spread of HIV. Blood safety legislations exist but are not implemented properly. Moreover, the stigma associated with the disease prohibits the sufferers from accessing diagnostic services or disclosing their HIV status. Serious policy measures and strict implementation, along with community mobilization and involvement are required to control the spread of lethal infection and support patients living with HIV.

Keywords:AIDS; Unsafe injection; Unscreened blood transfusion; Iatrogenic transmission

Abbreviations:AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, ART: Anti-Retroviral Treatment, HIV: Human Immune Deficiency Virus, IDU: Injection Drug Users, FSW: Female Sex Worker, MSM: Men having Sex with Men, MSW: Male Sex Worker, MTC: Mother To Child, PLHIV: Patient Living with HIV, PPTCT: Prevention of Parent To Child Transmission, TGSW: Transgender Sex Worker