KARACHI, May 7: Lack of awareness of HIV/Aids among the high-risk groups is making the fight against the disease difficult as they are considered to be marginalised segments of the society with limited access to information.

These views were expressed at a seminar titled ‘Establishment of PLWHA—People living with HIV/Aids’ — held in Lyari Town and organized by Mehran Reproductive Health Organization, an NGO which is working with people living with HIV/Aids to give them support care mechanism through its networking.

The speakers stressed the need for creating awareness of the diseases among the masses to check it effectively.

Area MPA Rafiq Engineer was chief guest on the occasion which was largely attended by the social workers of the locality.

Statistics released by the NGO show that by the end of 2006 the total number of adults living with HIV globally was 37.2 million while the number of women infected with the disease was 17.7 million and the children under 15 years were 2.3 million.

The global estimates for newly infected people with HIV by the end of 2006 was 3.8 million adults while the children under the age of 15 were 0.53 million.

The total number of deaths by Aids across the globe by the end of 2006 was 2.9 million while the reported deaths of adults were 2.6 million and the children under the age of 15 years were 38,000.

In South and South East Asia, the statistics show that the number of adult and children living with HIV/Aids was 7.8 million while the number of adults and children newly infected with HIV virus by the end of 2006 was 0.86 million while adults and children death due to AIDs by the end of 2006 was 0.59 million. In Pakistan, 3,224 HIV positive and 367 Aids cases were reported by the end of 2006 while 165 death cases were reported. Around 1,670 HIV positive cases and 108 Aids cases were reported in Sindh by the end of 2006.

The speakers also urged the NGO workers to launch advocacy campaigns in vulnerable populations. MPA Rafiq Engineer expressed his concern over the rampant re-use of syringes and promised to take the issue to the provincial assembly so that proper legislation could be initiated against the re-use of syringes.