In the previous 10 months, from January 1 to October 31, 519 persons in Islamabad have shockingly tested positive for HIV, according to authorities.
According to a representative from the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSR&C), the bulk of the population consists of young males between the ages of 18 and 25 who are classified as transgenders and men who have sex with men (MSM).
A federal health ministry source said that of the 519 new HIV cases, 40–45 percent are “young guys in the age bracket of 18–25 years” who are also engaged in “unsafe sexual practices.” The person asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
The figures show that at PIMS Islamabad, 38 new patients tested positive for HIV in January, followed by 61 in February, 40 in March, 34 in April, and 45 in May. The largest number of new HIV infections this year (74) was recorded in June.
53 new HIV patients signed up with the PIMS treatment centre in July. 61 more tested positive in August, 64 more in September, and 49 more in October.
“Keeping in view the growing burden of HIV cases in the capital, we have established another treatment centre for HIV patients at Polyclinic Hospital, Islamabad which is functional for the last few weeks but it has yet to be inaugurated formally”, the NHS official maintained.
In head of the HIV treatment centre at PIMS Islamabad, which has been designated a “special clinic,” Dr. Nailana Bashir claimed that they have over 4,500 persons living with HIV registered with them, and that figure is increasing every day.
“Every day two to three new people are being tested positive for HIV at our diagnostic lab at PIMS Islamabad. Ironically, most of them who are being tested positive for the last couple of years are young, educated men who practice same sex. Most of them know their practice so they search about risks involved with their sexual behaviour and get themselves tested for HIV,” Dr Naila added.
The majority of people tested for HIV at the PIMS Islamabad lab over the past couple of years have been young boys, both from the wealthy class as well as young workers who are living at their workplaces in the suburbs of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, according to the woman who claimed that the rise in the number of young, educated men from well-off families in Islamabad was observed during COVID-19 peak days.