KARACHI, Dec 27: Experts at a media dialogue titled “Challenge of HIV and AIDS in Pakistan: A Situational Analysis” called for initiating integrated efforts to cope with spread of HIV and AIDS and its control and prevention. They said NGOs, government agencies and the media should work jointly for creating awareness among general public, injecting drug users and sex workers regarding modes of HIV/AIDS transmission and give media an enhanced role in policy-making, strategy formulation besides refraining from attacking and avoiding media.

The media dialogue was jointly organized by Pakistan National AIDS Consortium (PNAC), Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and European Commission here at a local hotel and it was attended by representatives of NGOs working for HIV and AIDS control, government representatives, media representatives, HIV+ patients and health workers.

During the dialogue, experts and speakers called for enhanced role of media in HIV and AIDS Control and prevention campaigns by the NGOs, observing that it should be more than creating awareness as media should also be involved in strategy formulation and planning the campaigns.

They also called for more openness in the media regarding dissemination of information of HIV and AIDS, its modes of transmission and removing stigmas and taboos attached to it.

Delivering the inaugural address, President PNAC Raja Khalid Mahmood called for close and active collaboration with media for removing stigmas attached to issue of HIV and AIDS and deplored that despite all-out efforts, people were not still ready to talk on the issue.

He informed that according UNAIDS statistics, there were around 150000 HIV+ patients in Pakistan but government only acknowledges presence of 2622 HIV+ cases and 321 AIDS patients in Pakistan.

According to Mr Mahmood, high percentage of 63 per cent of adolescent population in Pakistan, poverty, illiteracy, commercial sex industry, large drug user population, inadequate blood transfusion screening and high number of professional blood donors were some of the factors responsible for spread of HIV/AIDS.

PPF secretary-general Owais Aslam Ali said that media should be free to hold NGOs and other organizations accountable and further suggested that media should also be involved in policy-making and strategy formulation instead of simply playing its role of awareness creation.

Representatives of three NGOs, Dr Saleem Azam, Aleem Baig and Dr Shahid said extra-marital sex and unsafe sexual practices and reuse of syringes by drug users were major causes of HIV/AIDS spread and called for giving attention to preventing people from using drugs and resorting to extra-marital sexual relationships.

National Manager, PNAC Qadeer Baig said few people in Pakistan know about hazards and modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS owing to illiteracy and stigmas attached to it and said women and children were more prone to getting the deadly disease.

He called for integrated efforts by NGOs and organizations working for HIV/AIDS control, government agencies and media.

Dr Sikander Sohani from Aahung, an expert on HIV/AIDS, said statistics show that it is myth that sexually transmitted diseases don’t exist in Muslim countries and said the disease could result in productivity loss, undermined human capacity and hurdles in social, economic and political development if not controlled.

He informed that poverty, illiteracy, gender inequality, unsafe health and sex practices and inadequate blood screening were some major causes for spread of HIV/AIDS in the country and said people working in this area need to conduct more research and collect data on the issue.

Dr Arshad of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme also spoke.—PPI