<b>HIV situation</b><br />
<br />
The first case of AIDS in a Pakistani citizen was reported in 1987 in Lahore. During the late 1980s and 1990s, it became evident that an increasing number of Pakistanis, mostly men, were becoming infected with HIV while living or traveling abroad. Upon their return to Pakistan, some of these men subsequently infected their wives who, in some cases, passed along the infection to their children <img src="http://www.cssforum.com.pk/general/discussion/images/smilies/13.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Astonished" class="inlineimg" /> . In 1993, the first recognised transmission of HIV infection through breastfeeding in Pakistan was reported in the city of Rawalpindi. During the 1990s, cases of HIV and AIDS began to appear among groups such as sex workers drug abusers and jail inmates. The increased rates of infection among these groups are assumed to have facilitated, at least to some extent, a further dissemination of HIV into the general population. <br />
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Currently classified by WHO/UNAIDS but high-risk country for the spread of HIV infection, Pakistan has recently witnessed changes in the epidemiological trends of the disease owing particularly to rapid rise in infection among injecting drug users. According to UNAIDS estimates, some 70,000 to 80,000 persons, or 0.1 percent of the adult population in Pakistan, are infected with HIV although cases reported to the National AIDS Control Programme are less. As in many countries, the numbers may be underreported -- mainly due to the social stigma attached to the infection, limited surveillance and voluntary counseling and testing systems, as well as the lack of knowledge among the general population and health practitioners. <br />
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Data analysis indicates that most infections occur between ages of 20-44 years, with men outnumbering females by a ratio 5:1. The trends are closely similar to other countries affected by HIV/AIDS. By September 2003, sexual transmission accounted for the majority of reported cases (67.48%). Other modes of transmission included: infection through contaminated blood and blood products (6.99%); injecting drug abuse (0.82%); and mother to child transmission (3%). The mode of transmission remains unknown in 20% of reported cases most probably due to stigma and lack of awareness. <br />
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But given the combination of high levels of risk behaviour and limited knowledge about AIDS among drug injectors and sex workers in Pakistan, experts warn that the country could be on the verge of a serious epidemic. Situation updates in 2005 by various agencies such as the UNAIDS report an 鎼妘tbreak?of HIV among injecting drug users in Larkana, Sindh, where, out of 170 people tested, more than 20 were found HIV positive. In Karachi, a 2004 survey of Sexually Transmitted Infections among high risk groups found that more than one in five IDUs was infected with HIV. These represent the first documented epidemics of HIV in well- defined vulnerable populations in Pakistan. They serve as confirmation of the threat that HIV poses to Pakistan and validate the premise of the country鎶
<br />
The first case of AIDS in a Pakistani citizen was reported in 1987 in Lahore. During the late 1980s and 1990s, it became evident that an increasing number of Pakistanis, mostly men, were becoming infected with HIV while living or traveling abroad. Upon their return to Pakistan, some of these men subsequently infected their wives who, in some cases, passed along the infection to their children <img src="http://www.cssforum.com.pk/general/discussion/images/smilies/13.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Astonished" class="inlineimg" /> . In 1993, the first recognised transmission of HIV infection through breastfeeding in Pakistan was reported in the city of Rawalpindi. During the 1990s, cases of HIV and AIDS began to appear among groups such as sex workers drug abusers and jail inmates. The increased rates of infection among these groups are assumed to have facilitated, at least to some extent, a further dissemination of HIV into the general population. <br />
<br />
Currently classified by WHO/UNAIDS but high-risk country for the spread of HIV infection, Pakistan has recently witnessed changes in the epidemiological trends of the disease owing particularly to rapid rise in infection among injecting drug users. According to UNAIDS estimates, some 70,000 to 80,000 persons, or 0.1 percent of the adult population in Pakistan, are infected with HIV although cases reported to the National AIDS Control Programme are less. As in many countries, the numbers may be underreported -- mainly due to the social stigma attached to the infection, limited surveillance and voluntary counseling and testing systems, as well as the lack of knowledge among the general population and health practitioners. <br />
<br />
Data analysis indicates that most infections occur between ages of 20-44 years, with men outnumbering females by a ratio 5:1. The trends are closely similar to other countries affected by HIV/AIDS. By September 2003, sexual transmission accounted for the majority of reported cases (67.48%). Other modes of transmission included: infection through contaminated blood and blood products (6.99%); injecting drug abuse (0.82%); and mother to child transmission (3%). The mode of transmission remains unknown in 20% of reported cases most probably due to stigma and lack of awareness. <br />
<br />
But given the combination of high levels of risk behaviour and limited knowledge about AIDS among drug injectors and sex workers in Pakistan, experts warn that the country could be on the verge of a serious epidemic. Situation updates in 2005 by various agencies such as the UNAIDS report an 鎼妘tbreak?of HIV among injecting drug users in Larkana, Sindh, where, out of 170 people tested, more than 20 were found HIV positive. In Karachi, a 2004 survey of Sexually Transmitted Infections among high risk groups found that more than one in five IDUs was infected with HIV. These represent the first documented epidemics of HIV in well- defined vulnerable populations in Pakistan. They serve as confirmation of the threat that HIV poses to Pakistan and validate the premise of the country鎶