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‘30 percent of drug addicts contracting HIV’

KARACHI: Almost 30 percent of drug addicts in Pakistan using injections contract HIV/AIDS, of which, 7.5 percent are male sex workers and three percent are transgender sex workers.

This was stated by the Canada-Pakistan HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project, Sindh AIDS Control Programme Senior Provincial Surveillance Support Officer Dr Arshad Altaf, while speaking at an international symposium on tropical diseases held at the Aga Khan University (AKU). The symposium was held as a part of the centenary celebration of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the 25th anniversary of the university.

According to Altaf, the majority of HIV/AIDS cases reported in the mid-90s were amongst Pakistani labourers deported from the Gulf countries. “Unless reasonable efforts are made to contain the disease, it may infect the general population in the near future,” he said, citing the rapid population boom in the country as a major reason for the increase in HIV/AIDS incidences.

Urban Resource Centre Consultant Architect, Planner and Chairman Arif Hassan said that the population boom was also making planning difficult. “The lack of resources and education, coupled with the utter disregard for social and environmental conditions in poor settlements, has led to congestion in the city, not only harming the mental and physical health of the citizens but also aggravating the spread of diseases,” said Hassan.

The symposium also focused on tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan and AKU Department of Pathology and Microbiology Chairperson Prof. Dr Rumina Hasan said that five percent of TB strains in Karachi have become resistant to the drugs commonly used for TB treatment. She stressed the need for strengthening the work force and equipment in diagnostic facilities in the country.

“Simple steps for infection control, such as covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing and washing your hands frequently, will greatly reduce the spread of drug-resistant diseases in the country,” said AKU Clinical Microbiology Associate Professor and Section Head Dr Afia Zafar.

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Deputy Director Research and Professor of Immunology Dr Hazel M Dockrell talked about the development of new drugs and vaccines to fight TB. She emphasised the need for research to develop new vaccines against the multi drug-resistant TB bacteria and other diseases.

AKU Department of Paediatrics and Child Health Professor Dr Anita Zaidi talked about the recently introduced HIB vaccine, which will help prevent fatal pneumonia and meningitis among children. She said that the Rotavirus virus causes most diarrhoeal diseases in Pakistan and emphasised the need for producing a vaccine against it.

Speaking about the hepatitis virus, AKU Department of Medicine Chairman Prof. Dr Saeed Hamid said, “The hepatitis C virus is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease and cancer globally.” He stated that the hepatitis E virus could seriously harm and even kill an unborn child, or prove fatal for pregnant women. “The exact reason why this infection becomes so severe during pregnancy is unknown. However, an effective vaccine against the virus has been developed but it is not being widely distributed,” he added. Till the distribution of the vaccine, pregnant women should be sensible about what they eat and should only drink boiled water, added Saeed.

The International Symposium on Tropical Medicine and Hygiene will continue till Thursday. app

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