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Like other parts of the globe, Pakistan observed World AIDS Day on 1st December every year to recognize the role of societies in controlling the spread of the noxious disease.
Since 1987, organizations and individuals across the sphere bring attention to the HIV pandemic and endeavor to boost HIV awareness and knowledge. HIV continues to be a major global public health concern, having affected more than 30 million people worldwide at the end of November 2020.
COVID-19 pushes AIDS response further off track
As coronavirus (COVID-19) pushes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) response even further off track and the 2020 targets are missed, United Nations (UNAIDS) is emphasizing communities to learn from the lessons of under-investing in health and to accelerate global action to end the deadly disease and other epidemics.
The theme of World AIDS Day 2020
The theme of World AIDS Day 2020 is “Global solidarity, shared responsibility”. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message said health must be a top investment priority to achieve universal health coverage.
World AIDS Day brings together people from around the globe to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the pandemic.
World AIDS Day is an opportunity for public and private partners to spread awareness about the status of the plague and support progress in HIV/AIDS preclusion, treatment and care across the globe.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the communities have made momentous progress since the late 1990s; however, HIV remains a major global public health issue. This year, people across the world face additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic like many other major health issues.
HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services are all being disrupted particularly in countries with fragile health systems. The breakdown in essential HIV services due to coronavirus is intimidating the lives of people.
Any dawdling down in the provision of these services will leave several helpless populations at greater jeopardy of HIV infection and AIDS-related deaths. However, all over the globe, health officials and community representatives are doing their paramount to keep services going, adopting innovative methods to defeat disruptions in services caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
WHO has paid tribute to all those working to offer HIV services, and in calling on world leaders and people to rally for global solidarity to maintain essential HIV services during coronavirus outbreak and beyond.
Over 30mn people worldwide affected by HIV
According to the World Health Organization report, more than 30 million people worldwide are living with HIV. By the end of June 2020, 26 million people were found to be using antiretroviral therapy specifically to treat AIDS.
World Aids Day report says almost 700,000 deaths from AIDS-related causes and 1.7 million new HIV infections in 2019 are unacceptable when effective steps and prevention options are affordable and readily available.
The report further said HIV and coronavirus epidemics and their responses underline the importance of escalating the resilience of communities and health systems, and the importance of addressing underlying inequalities.
The report of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition disclosed that despite observing a reduction in new HIV infections among adults in different countries, overall progress in HIV prevention efforts remains variable and is too slow to get the 2020 goals committed to at the United Nations high-level meeting on ending AIDS in 2016.
AIDS situation in Pakistan
Pakistan has been having an increasing number of AIDS cases. There was an outbreak in Sindh Ratodero where several children tested positive for the virus, followed by cases in Punjab and Balochistan. Pakistan is among 11 countries with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS and these cases are due to a lack of unawareness.
The report of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition said in Pakistan, there was a 74% increase in the daises, however in 26 coalition countries new HIV cases declined.
The report says at present, Pakistan has an estimated 183,705 people living with HIV in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan and two autonomous states: Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
Of those estimated, 69 percent are male and 21 percent female while, three percent are children in the country.
The coronavirus outbreak is an additional challenge to upholding progress in HIV prevention in 2020. Of particular fears are interruptions in HIV prevention efforts and services, like voluntary medical male circumcision, interrupted access to prevention commodities, including safe injection supplies, the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns on educational and social support services across the country.
We need to take steps to reduce the stigma
In an Islamic state like Pakistan, topics related to sexual encounters and safe sex is considered taboo so they are discussed at minimum, giving a chance for continuous increase in HIV/AIDS epidemics.
We need to take steps to reduce the stigma related to HIV/AIDS so messes could speak up and can talk about the disease and its modes of transmission. It will increase acceptance in the society for HIV infected patients so they do not remain unaddressed.
The root cause or transmission factors behind this epidemic are still a mystery and the data on the molecular characterization, drug resistance and its origin of spread is not available.
When discussing AIDS, it is necessary to talk about the social stigma, fear of social disapproval, denial of accepting the reality and consensus across the cultures in response to this disease.
Knowing the fact that the government resources are limited, it is our collective responsibility and everyone has to play their role to deal with HIV-related fear, stigma and denial in public because no one safe until everyone is safe.
