December 01, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 2, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 30: As elsewhere around the globe, the World Aids Day (WAD) is being observed in Karachi on Monday.

The city has a number of on-street injecting drug users (IDUs) who are feared to contract HIV disproportionably due to their lifestyle and for being the most marginalised and discriminated-against community.

There is no authentic data about HIV-infected people in the province, though a CIDA-sponsored survey of groups of people vulnerable to HIV in big cities of Pakistan said that the prevalence of HIV among the IDUs of Karachi was 23.1 per cent, next to Larkana, which has a rate of 28.5. Hyderabad has the maximum prevalence rate of 30.5 per cent against the overall rate of 20.8 per cent in the country.

Emphasising on HIV prevention and treatment programmes, WAD also serves as a reminder to governments to do more to fight against the spread of HIV and Aids.

Health practitioners in the city, in the meantime, have suggested developing a well-integrated care and support system for the IDUs in the public sector.

According to an estimate, Karachi and other big cities of Sindh have 12,000 to 15,000 male IDUs, a majority of whom are visible on the streets, homeless and abandoned. The factors such as sharing of syringes and inappropriate sexual behaviour are seen as the main causes of high prevalence of HIV among them.

In the interior of Sindh as well as in Karachi, some of the NGO-run programmes for drug-users are in place, in addition to some drop-in centres for syringe exchange, etc, but are proving not very helpful for the long term as far as any permanent harm-reduction and rehabilitation purposes are concerned.

Experts say the focus should now be on development of effective prevention and provision of treatment, care and support to IDUs. Firstly, the government should present a model of organising comprehensive care in the big cities of the province for replication in the private sector and by the multinational companies, pharmaceuticals and other corporate establishments.

WAD programmes

A number of NGOs and government institutions have planned to hold awareness programmes, seminars, musical shows, candlelight gatherings and walks in connection with WAD spread over a week in the city.

The provincial health minister will be the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a prevention of parent-to-child transmission of HIV centre at the Civil Hospital Karachi on Dec 1. The Sindh chief minister will be the chief guest at a programme with people living with HIV/Aids in a hotel on Dec 2.