ISLAMABAD: Between January 1 and October 31 of the past 10 months, an astonishing 519 persons in Islamabad have tested positive for HIV, according to officials on Wednesday.
According to a representative of the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C), transgender people and young males between the ages of 18 and 25 make up the bulk of those who are classified as men having sex with men (MSM).
A federal health ministry source said that of the 519 new HIV patients, 40–45 percent are “young guys in the age group of 18–25 years,” who are also engaged in “unsafe sexual practises.” The person asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The figures show that at PIMS Islamabad, 38 new patients tested positive for HIV in January, followed by 61 in February, 40 in March, 34 in April, and 45 in May. The largest number of new HIV infections this year (74) was recorded in June. 53 new HIV patients signed up with the PIMS treatment centre in July. 61 more tested positive in August, 64 more in September, and 49 more in October.
As the number of HIV cases in the capital increased, the NHS official insisted, “We have constructed another treatment centre for HIV patients at Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad.It has been operational for the previous few weeks, but it has not yet been properly launched.”
In head of the treatment centre at PIMS Islamabad, which has been designated a “special clinic,” Dr. Nailana Bashir claimed that they have over 4,500 persons living with HIV registered with them, and that figure is increasing every day.
At our diagnostic lab at PIMS Islamabad, two to three new patients are tested positive for HIV every day. Ironically, young, educated males who engage in same-sex relationships constitute the majority of those who have tested positive during the past few years.
