Overview: History of HIV/AIDS in Pakistan?

Pakistan, South Asia’s second-largest country, is only a few steps behind India and Nepal in terms of the HIV epidemic.

From 1987 to 2003, Pakistan was amid a low-prevalence pandemic. Although no study found substantial HIV in any group before 2002, this may have been owing to a lack of systematic surveillance systems.

In 2003, an HIV outbreak among injection drug users in one city signaled the start of the country’s HIV epidemic. Since then, other studies and the national HIV surveillance program (which began in 2004) have proven a rising epidemic among IDUs, as well as the male and transgender sex workers.

HIV is caused by a virus. It can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding, or through sexual contact, illicit injectable drug use or sharing needles, contact with infected blood, or contact with contaminated blood. HIV kills CD4 T cells, which are white blood cells that aid in disease resistance.

Because of the heterogeneity and interconnection of high-risk injecting and sexual behavior, as well as low levels of HIV knowledge and prevention and high levels of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV could spread quickly to marriage partners or sex clients, resulting in a widespread epidemic.

Price of HIV Test in Pakistan

MMI Hospital has a long history of providing high-quality services at reasonable prices, and the Outreach Center/lab collection points are an added benefit to patients. The cost of an HIV test can be found here.

HIV Treatment in Pakistan

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is used for HIV treatment. ART involves taking a daily combination of HIV medications (known as an HIV treatment regimen). Antiretroviral therapy is recommended for everyone with HIV. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) cannot cure HIV, it can help patients with the virus live longer and healthier lives.

Causes of HIV/ AIDS in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the most prevalent means of HIV/AIDS transmission are contaminated blood or blood products (52.55 percent), and contaminated blood or blood products are the most commonly reported modes of transmission.

Multiple injections, i.e. the same syringes were used on one or more children by healthcare personnel as part of treatment, were connected to HIV infections in children. As a result of the medical error, which was primarily due to inadequately trained employees, there was an increase in HIV transmission and infections in Pakistan.

HIV Cases in Pakistan

According to data from the provincial health ministry, more than 1,500 people have tested positive for HIV in Pakistan’s Sindh province in the two years since the outbreak began in 2019.

According to Pakistan’s National AIDS Control Program (NACP), over 165,000 persons in the country are HIV positive, with just 24,331 (15%) being aware of their status.

Only 17,149 individuals enrolled in the NACP program received antiretroviral therapy in 2019. (ART). The AIDS control program is thought to have been harmed by a lack of awareness and illiteracy in rural sections of the country.

Prevalence of HIV in Pakistan

HIV prevalence in Pakistan’s general population is believed to be less than 1%, with 165 000 people living with the virus. The National AIDS Control Program (NACP) has 24 331 persons (14.7%) registered as of June 2019, up from 4500 in 2013.

HIV Rate in Pakistan

Protected intercourse and screening of blood products and other body fluids have helped to limit HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) transmission in developed countries. Pakistan is at high risk of HIV/AIDS infection, but the prevalence rate is currently very low.

Since 1987, the number of HIV/AIDS cases recorded in Pakistan has been steadily growing. By 2010, the total number of cases registered had risen to 6000, and this number is continuing to climb. To control this dangerous disease, several major strategies must be implemented.

HIV Patients in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV has risen at an alarming rate in recent decades, with a rising death toll. Pakistan has an estimated 150,000 HIV patients, according to the National Health Survey, including 75,000 in Punjab, 15,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 5,000 in Baluchistan.

Sindh had an estimated 60,000 HIV-positive people as of August 2018. HIV has a low prevalence in Pakistan, especially among children, compared to many other infectious diseases.

There are an estimated 183,705 HIV-positive persons in Pakistan. People who inject drugs, male, female, and transgender sex workers (MSW, FSW, TGSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgenders are all affected by the HIV epidemic in the country.

HIV Ratio in Pakistan in 2022?

In Pakistan, HIV prevalence is estimated to be less than 1% in the general population, with 165 000 HIV-positive people. The National AIDS Control Program (NACP) has 24 331 people registered as of June 2019, up from 4500 people in 2013.

FAQ:

 

How MMI is the best HIV treatment center in Pakistan?

MMI Hospital’s Laboratory Department is regarded as one of Karachi’s best, with the ability to perform over 600 different tests.

For the convenience and facilitation of patients and healthcare providers, round-the-clock services with high standards are available for both inpatients and outpatients.

We offer outpatient and inpatient lab services 24 hours a day, making MMI Hospital one of Karachi’s premier diagnostic labs.

What HIV vaccine in Pakistan is used?

Currently, no vaccine can prevent HIV infection or treat individuals who already have it.

Is HIV common in Pakistan?

HIV prevalence in Pakistan’s general population is believed to be less than 1%, with 165 000 people living with the virus.