595 Children in Pakistan Infected with HIV
595 children in South Pakistan have been infected with HIV, the blame is falling on unqualified nurses and doctors are reusing syringes. The government has asked for help from the international commun
In the Ratodero region in South Pakistan more than 728 people have tested positive for HIV with nearly 600 being children alone, and 70% of them aged 2-5 years old, Government officials have said the spread to such young children is due to unqualified doctors and nurses reusing syringes, the Pakistani government has asked for international help as they are losing control and struggling to stop the outbreak.
The Health Minister of Pakistan, Zafar Mirza is taking a team from the World Health Organization(WHO) to Ratodero to ensure they have all the right equipment to conduct tests properly and according to international standards.
The WHO team will investigate the availability of single-use needles and syringes especially the sale of reused syringes. The team will try to trace the origin of infection and identify the exact source before it spreads further. They will also be providing HIV treatment and counselling for families affected by this outbreak.
According to the Pakistani National AIDS Control Programme, Pakistan already has 1,65,000 people living with HIV. However, only 25,000 are registered with them and are taking advantage of the HIV programmes.
