By Dr.Abdul Razak Shaikh,
A consignment of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ARV) medicines, donated by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia for the treatment of children infected with HIV in Ratodero area of Larkana would be handed over to the Sindh health department by the end of this month as informed by the World Health Organization (WHO) officials in Pakistan on Thursday.
Similarly, an order for the procurement of 50,000 Rapid Diagnostic Kits to continue the screening of a large number of people in Larkana and adjoining areas has also been placed by the WHO and the consignment would be available by mid of July this year, WHO officials informed Sindh health department.
Four more children were tested positive for HIV in Ratodero area of Larkana on Friday and the number of HIV positive reached 822 since April 25, 2019, while 146 adults including men and women have also been tested positive for the sexually-transmitted and blood-borne disease. Presently 312 children getting treatment out of 546 and still, 234 are waiting for Medicine due to nonavailability.
Despite the emergence of such a large number of children with HIV positive status, only 312 have so far been given Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ARV) at a pediatric HIV a treatment center in Larkana adding that they were waiting for the consignment of the ARVs from the WHO and other international organizations to start all HIV positive people, especially children.
A consignment of Pediatric formulations for HIV positive children, donated from MOH Ethiopia will be available by end of June 2019, WHO country representative in Pakistan, Dr. Palatka Maniple said in a letter to the Sindh health department and further assured that they have placed an order for the procurement of 50,000 Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RDTs), which would be supplied to the provincial health of the department by the mid of next month.
WHO Representative to Pakistan said these supplies were being arranged on the request from the Sindh health department and urged the health department to nominate a physician, Counselor, and a Data Entry Operator so that they could be trained by them.
On another request from the Sindh health department, the WHO also negotiated with the Common Management Unit of the Global Fund for the provision of a CD4 Machine, which will be shifted shortly to the Taluka Hospital Ratodero. It is worth mentioning here that CD4 machines play a crucial role in the counting of CD4 cells in the bodies of HIV positive patients and help in treatment.
At the same time, four experts including two clinicians trained in the treatment of children with HIV and two experts of adults with HIV positive status are landing in Karachi in a couple of days to train local doctors and physicians for the treatment of adults.
The number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive cases has jumped to 822 in Ratodero, Larkana.
The majority of HIV positive patients include children of aging between 1 to 5 years.
Sources further said that 52 percent male and 48.1 percent of female patients have been diagnosed with the HIV virus.
The health department has decided to continue screening of the patients in the area.
HIV endemic is creating havoc in Larkana, Shikarpur and other parts of Sindh, whereas the government it seemed to fail to control over the worsening situation.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) had released an initial report of its findings on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreak in Larkana.
The 11-member team of the WHO had prepared its preliminary report on the HIV the situation in Larkana and adjoining areas.
The report declared the HIV epidemic as Grade-II emergency. According to the report, around 1.5 million dollars required controlling the epidemic situation but the WHO could not provide the required financial assistance for the emergency situation. The WHO could arrange 2, 00,000 dollars, the report further said.
After the HIV panic that struck Rato Dero in the Larkana district of Sindh, with 822 persons including children testing positive, Punjab has owned up to a major HIV problem of its own. In five districts, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Sahiwal, Jhang and Nankana Sahib, there are currently more than 2,800 patients registered with the Punjab AIDS Control Program. There could, of course, be other sufferers who have not been detected or have not registered for free medication. Indeed, this is likely given that most discovered their condition accidentally, in screening before donating blood undergoing surgery or traveling overseas.
While the authorities have denied the surge in HIV cases, there are also other concerns. One of these is the reportedly routine refusal by public-sector hospitals to perform surgery on HIV-infected patients. As a result, these persons turn to dubious private clinics or quacks who use equipment that may not later undergo proper sterilization, thereby contributing to the spread of the disease. As has been the case in Sindh, health sources also believe quacks are a major cause behind the spread of the virus as are unregistered doctors who use unsafe equipment.
This is obviously an emergency. The WHO had already declared a level two emergency in Sindh and will be releasing its report on the situation early next year.
All medical bodies and health officials need in fact to make it more public so that people can adopt necessary safeguards. It is essential that awareness and knowledge be spread to do away with myths and misperceptions. The government needs to adopt a more transparent and more aggressive approach to prevent an even bigger crisis from taking hold across the country.
