LAHORE: Provincial AIDS Control Programme (PACP) from the Punjab Health Department in collaboration with the Government College for Women, Gulberg, organised on Monday an awareness seminar on HIV/AIDS at the college auditorium on Monday.

PACP Deputy Project Director Muhammad Faisal Majeed gave an overview of the situation of HIV/AIDS in Punjab.

He said that awareness about the disease was a key to live a healthy life. He said that unsafe blood transfusion, use of unsterilised medical/dental equipment, use of injectable drugs and indulging in immoral activities were the main causes of spreading of HIV/AIDS.

He said diagnostic and treatment services were being provided through nine centres of voluntary counseling and testing centers, 13 surveillance centres, 10 treatment centres for adults and children and six prevention of parent to child Transmission centres in different public hospitals in Punjab.

More than 9,450 HIV positive people were reported in Punjab till January, 2015. At present, 6,456 patients are registered and 4,213 are receiving regular anti-retro viral therapy in Punjab.

This is a life-long treatment, Mr Majeed said.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2016