HIV positive cases continue to emerge in Larkana’s Ratodero town and its suburban areas. Two more new HIV cases were detected at Taluka Headquarter Hospital, Ratodero, on Friday, when 49 people were screened.
The number of HIV positive cases has reached to 903 out of which 741 are children and 162 adults. So far 31,013 people among the general population have been tested. However, Sindh AIDS Control Program (SACP), claimed that no HIV case was found at any of the outreach sites of Naundero, Banguldero, Lashari, Pir Bux Bhutto and Garhi Yasin where 25 people came for screening out of which 10 were tested in Naundero, four at Banguldero, five at Pir Bux Bhutto and six at Garhi Yasin. No one turned out at Basic Health Unit, Lashari.
Meanwhile, US’s Brown University Prof: Dr. Timothy P Flanigan, Head of HIV/AIDS Department, will be visiting Pakistan from July 20 to 25 along two other senior doctors. Dr. Flanigan is a member of the Division of Infectious Diseases and The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals and Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He came to Brown Medical School in 1991 to help establish a network of primary care for HIV infected individuals with a particular focus on women, substance abusers and individuals leaving prison. Dr. Flanigan developed the HIV Core Program at the State Prison to provide care for HIV infected individuals and link them to community based resources upon release. Over 70% of individuals in Rhode Island who are HIV infected link with primary medical care at the Immunology Center. He is also associate director of The Miriam/Brown Fogarty Program which trains & mentors overseas investigators in HIV/AIDS.
He will visit Islamabad, Ratodero and ART Center in Larkana for children. He will meet with federal health adviser, Sindh health department bosses who are still reluctant to reply to his letters owing to known reasons. He will inquire about the facilities provided to the positive people including availability & supply of medicines to the affected cases and establishment of sophisticated modern laboratory.
