Abstract:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized as a clinical condition in 1981 and was thought to be confined to a specific population group - homosexuals. However, since then AIDS has received great media coverage which has revealed that it is both a homosecual and heterosexual disease with a fatal outcome. It is known that the disease spread from central and western Africa to the Caribbean eventually manifesting itself in the United States and Europe. In Asia, the disease still remains a taboo and is not well documented. Due to this reason that the spread of the AIDS virus remains un-checked in many Asian countries. According to WHO the AIDS virus has infected over 2.5 million individuals throughout the world. The HIV (Human immunodefficiency virus) epidemic in Asia is growing at an alarming rate; in Thailand the estimated cases of infection have risen ten-fold and in India it has tripled since 1992. Thus it is estimated that by the end of the century more than 10 million Asians will be infected with HIV. In Pakistan, three social taboos are driving the spread of disease, effectively blocking prevention and care - denial, discrimination and disempowerment. Today a very conservative estimation of HIV infections in Pakistan, as reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, stands at 850 HIV-positive cases, of those 46 developed AIDS and have since died. Compared to the figures released by the same organization a year ago there were 733 HIV cases an increase of 123 cases in a matter of one year. These estimates do not reflect the true scenario. If the first case of HIV was detected in 1987, as is presently thought then the estimated cases of HIV could be around 10,000-20,000 persons, based on epidemiological parameters. However, if there were cases before 1987 but not diagnosed as HIV/AIDS cases - which is not unreasonable to presume - then based on the statistical parameters the estimates could be much higher - closer to 50,000 - 100,000. In 1990, India officially had 2,700 HIV positives cases; by 1993 the official figures rocked to 500,000 while the actual estimates hover around 2.7-3.5 million. According to an AIDS researcher, Pakistan is at the same stage at which India was three years ago, which necessitates immediate action on strategies for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. This includes universal precautions; compulsory testing of all donated blood; surveillance; comprehensive training of health workers; safer sexual behavior; sexually transmitted diseases STD management; condom procurement and distribution; counseling and rehibitation of HIV infected individuals; management, monitoring and evaluation of the program. The largest hurdle of resistance that such a campaign can encounter is that from the nation’s clergy. Such a reaction should be treated with patience and candidness and the clergy should be convinced that such a campaign is necessary to combat this disease and that any misleading information will have detrimental effect on the whole nation.
Page(s):
111-123
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Punjab University Journal of Zoology, Volume: 10, Issue: , Year: 1995