Officials warn daily of new infections and unsafe practices drive a silent spread
PESHAWAR:
Nearly 40,000 people in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are currently living with HIV/AIDS, with 15 to 20 new cases reported daily, provincial health officials revealed on World AIDS Day.
Dr. Tariq Hayat Taj, director of the Provincial AIDS Control Program, said at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Monday that only about 9,800 patients are officially registered. He warned that the real figure is far higher, as many people avoid testing due to social stigma and fear of discrimination.
“Because of harsh societal attitudes, many patients are afraid to be tested,” said Dr. Tariq and emphasized that this reluctance fuels the silent spread of the virus.
He singled out unsafe medical practices, including quacks, illegal street clinics and repeated use of single syringes, as major contributors to rising infections. Dr. Taj urged the health authorities to take decisive action against such practices.
“Single contaminated syringes, if reused, can quickly spread the virus,” he warned, noting that HIV is no longer untreatable. Patients in KP are given free medicine and lifelong treatment by the provincial government.
According to UN estimates, about 40,000 people in KP and 330,000 across Pakistan are living with HIV, a number officials call “extremely alarming.”
During vaccination drives in high-risk areas such as Iqbal Plaza in Peshawar, 197 transgender people tested positive for HIV. Dr. Tariq confirmed that all affected individuals are now receiving treatment.
The virus, he explained, is not limited to sexual transmission. “It can be spread through infected needles, unsterilized equipment in barbershops and beauty salons and other unsafe practices,” he said.
Currently, about 60 percent of HIV patients in KP are male, 30 percent female and 10 percent transgender. Drug users, transgender communities and sex workers are the most vulnerable groups. “The general population is no longer safe, the virus is spreading silently beyond high-risk groups,” warned Dr. Tariq.
