There has been a dangerous increase in AIDS cases in Punjab, with more than 45,000 patients reported in the province.
According to the report, 54 percent of the country’s AIDS patients are from Punjab alone, out of which 29 percent are not receiving treatment.
The report states that more than 84,000 patients are registered across the country. Among them, over 32,000 patients in Punjab are under treatment, while more than 13,000 are not receiving any treatment. These include 31,000 men, over 9,000 women, and more than 2,500 transgender individuals affected by AIDS.
The report also revealed a concerning rise in AIDS cases among children. More than 1,900 children under the age of 14 are affected, including over 1,000 boys and 900 girls. In Punjab, 37 percent of affected children are not receiving treatment.
Across Punjab, Lahore has the highest number of cases with more than 10,000 patients, followed by Faisalabad with 5,000, Multan with over 3,000 patients, while Sargodha and Gujrat have more than 2,800 cases, and Nankana Sahib has over 2,000 affected individuals.
Medical experts say that the number of unregistered AIDS patients across the country exceeds 300,000. Unregistered clinics in major cities, high risk groups, and the rapidly growing population are accelerating the spread of the virus. Major causes behind the rising cases in Punjab include unsafe injections, widespread drug use points, poor blood screening, unqualified practitioners, and weak healthcare regulation.
They further stated that due to social stigma, a large number of individuals avoid testing, allowing the virus to spread silently.
