THE surest way to lose a battle is to deny it is taking place. This may just be happening where HIV/AIDS is concerned in Pakistan. The World Health Organisation estimates that the number of people infected with the deadly virus has exceeded 125,000 in the country; the official figure, however, has not crossed the 5,000 mark for many years. The groups immediately at risk are injected-drug users and sex workers, where high levels of risky behaviour combine with limited awareness. A survey published in this year's annual UN report on AIDS said that 60 per cent of female sex workers and 45 per cent of their male clients in Karachi and Lahore were unaware that condoms can prevent the transmission of HIV. A survey conducted by the state-run National AIDS Control Programme in 2006 conceded that only 18 per cent of the respondent sex workers reported using condoms. Even where awareness exists, sex workers — particularly children — usually lack the power to negotiate safe sex. Male child prostitution is estimated to be the most common form of sexual exploitation in the country, with nearly 20,000 child sex workers in Lahore alone.

HIV is on the rise in Pakistan, and this situation must be recognised and addressed. Due to practices such as the inadequate screening of blood for transfusions and unsafe surgery such as organ removal and dentistry, the virus is spreading in a society that is already characterised by poverty and illiteracy. Pakistan cannot afford to underestimate the consequences of HIV/AIDS spilling into the general population this has happened in parts of Africa, and it is frightening. A massive awareness campaign is urgently needed, combined with efforts to combat poverty, drug abuse and unsafe medical practices. Unless the societal attitude towards this stigmatised virus changes, Pakistan may find itself facing an epidemic, with appalling consequences.