Nine more people, eight of them children, were identified as HIV-positive in Shikarpur on Thursday, taking the total number of such cases in the district in recent days to 22, officials said.

The cases emerged during the day-long blood screening exercise, which was started by the provincial government after an outbreak of HIV-positive cases in Larkana.

A total of 517 people were tested in the Shikarpur villages of Dhakkan, Pirbakhsh Theem and Sarang Shar. In Dhakkan alone, eight children — the youngest among them aged one — and a woman were detected as HIV-positive.

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After the emergence of the cases, a meeting of high-level officials of the health department was held in Dhakkan. Chaired by District Health Office Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh, the meeting decided to expand the blood screening drive in Dhakkan and surrounding villages.

It also resolved to initiate an awareness campaign to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area. Teams comprising senior medical officers will visit different villages to inform people about preventative measures and encourage them to get tested.

The meeting was informed that the children identified as HIV-positive have been referred to the AIDS Treatment Centre in Larkana, where they will be treated free of cost under the Sindh AIDS Control Programme.

It was revealed during the meeting that a primary reason behind the spread of HIV cases is quacks and unregistered laboratories and maternity homes, where syringes are reused on patients. Officials decided to launch a crackdown against such establishments in Shikarpur and beyond.

2 test positive for HIV in Thar

Also on Thursday, two people tested positive for HIV in Tharparkar district.

Deputy Medical Superintendent of Mithi Civil Hospital Dr Chaman Sharma told reporters that a 28-year-old man from village Mithrio and a 30-year-old woman from Diplo town were found to have HIV after tests were conducted.

According to the doctor, the two people will require further tests to ascertain the required treatment.

With additional reporting by Hanif Samoon in Badin.