RATODERO:Rush of intending people has not decreased despite 18th day of blood screening camp here on Thursday. People throng to the camp despite hot weather.
As many as 936 people were screened at the camp here out of which 27 were detected HIV positive and among them are 21 children. Over 12000 general population people have so far been screened out of which 546 have been detected positive and among them 434 are children. When Provincial Program Manager, Sindh AIDS Control Program, was contacted for confirmation of these figures his cellular phone was found off.
Dr. Hola Ram, Incharge, HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Center, Larkana, told this Scribe that so far over 400 HIV positive people have been reconfirmed at the Center out of which over 300 are children and 100 men and women. He said on Thursday 57 people were screened for reconfirmation out of which 27 were found positive out of whom 21 are children and six men and women. He said all children belonged to Ratodero whereas out of six, three were residents of Ratodero and the remaining three belonged to other areas. He said it was last screening day at this Center for children and now all affected children will have to go to Paeds Medicine Department of Chandka Hospital for confirmation or reconfirmation where a doctor has been posted. He said over 90% reconfirmed cases belong to Ratodero.
Free blood screening of as many as 348 people from general population was also carried out at two different camps each established at Rural Health Center (RHC), Naundero and Basic Health Unit (BHU) of village Saidu Dero but fortunately no body was detected HIV positive. Out of these two camps 56 people reached at RHC out of which 40 were men, 10 women and six children but none was found positive. PPP Naundero City President Arshad Shah Rashdi, Anwar Buriro, journalists Rahmat Morio and Salim Solangi were among those who got their blood screened at the very outset but they were determined negative.
Third screening camp was organized at Banguldero where as many as 152 people were screened out of which one was detected HIV positive.
Meanwhile, Jamil Soomro, political secretary to PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, visited screening camp at Ratodero and later went to ART Ward established at Paeds Medicine Department of Chandka Medical College Hospital and inquired about the health of HIV positive patients. He gathered information from the affected patients and issued instructions to the doctors. He told the affected patients that HIV is not a dangerous disease but it is just like Hepatitis. He assured them of full cooperation and support and said that Sindh Government is trying its best to control further spread of this viral disease for which teams from Aga Khan Hospital have already reached here and are working smoothly.
He further assured them that all the positive cases will be provided full medical treatment. During his visit to the ART Ward he expressed his dissatisfaction over cleanliness. He was accompanied by local party leaders.