LARKANA:As many as 65 new HIV positive adult cases were registered at the HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Centre, Larkana, in the last 11 months between May 2020 till March 2021 as in May there were 1328 registered cases of Larkana district alone which now have increased to 1393.
In this way Larkana district continue to top the list and second number is occupied by Kambar-Shahdadkot district with 501 cases and third is occupied by Dadu district as their number of positive cases has reached to 341 followed by Khairpur and Shikarpur districts with 249 and 224 cases respectively. Jacobabad district has 114 cases, Sukkur 98, Kashmore-Kandhkot 62, Ghotki 37, Naushahro Feroze 96, Jamshoro 30, Jaffarabad (Balochistan) 23, Nawabshah 14 and Hyderabad 3.
Tando Allahyar, Khuzdar. Kharan and Jhat Pat two each and one each case of Matiari, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Quetta, Kalat, Pajghor, Sibi, Sohbatpur, Dera Bugti and Nankana Sahib are also registered here.
Out of 2607 total present HIV positive registered cases at the Centre, 1860 are males, 598 females, 11 children and 38 transgenders but out of these 2507 as many as 2216 are on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) and 216 are missing for which credible sources claimed that they have either expired or shifted to other treatment centres or have left the treatment in mid which is dangerous.
Out of these 2216 cases, as many as 1615 are males, 564 females, three children and 34 transgenders.
These sources when asked as to why positive people of other provinces or districts are reaching here to get treatment which costs them extra instead of going to the Centres nearby their areas replied that positive people still face worst form of discrimination and stigma in their areas and people continue to hate them despite the fact that they will not be infected even if they shared meal with the positive people. They said a constant awareness campaign is must across the province but the relevant health department authorities have done nothing except hollow press statements and tall claims.
They said that an endowment fund of rupees one billion is yet to be released which was announced by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in May 2019 for the affected children of Ratodero and their families and they have also been denied inclusion in the Ehsaas Kifalat Program of the federal government.
Dr Imran Akbar Arbani said on Sunday that the affected children should be given insurance policies immediately to save their future lives otherwise, he feared, another suicidal outbreak may occur in future of these children if they are not accepted by the society.