Sindh reports highest number of HIV cases in past six months: NIH data

ISLAMABAD: Sindh reported the highest number of cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) retrovirus in the past six months, The News has learned.

A total of 454 cases of HIV emerged across Pakistan in the past six months, reflect officially reported statistics of the National Institute of Heath.

Nearly 40 percent of cases of HIV Aids were reported from Sindh, 14 percent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 13 percent from Balochistan, 10 from Azad Jammu Kashmir and only two percent from Gilgit-Baltistan. Punjab, however, reported cases of HIV for only one week out of the total six months to the National Institute of Health.

Interestingly, one week’s reported cases of HIV in Punjab were 87, more than the total cases reported in KP, Balochistan, AJK and GB in the past six months. Nearly 20 percent of the total cases in the past six months emerged from only Punjab in only one month, July 2023. Islamabad reported no case of AIDS in the past six months.

From June to December 2023, a total of 180 cases of HIV emerged from Sindh. This makes an average of 30 reported cases per month in only Sindh.

According to health experts, the real number of cases is more than those that are reported.

From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a total 65 cases emerged in the past six months with an average of 10 cases every month, show the official statistics.

In Balochistan, a total of 60 cases of HIV were witnessed, which make it an average of 10 cases per month. Forty-seven cases were reported from Azad Jammu Kashmir in the past six months, while 15 cases were reported from Gilgit-Baltistan.