This is beyond tragic.
What the hell happened to lead to this? Is there no control on hygiene and basic use of syringes?
- Chronic low health spending going back decades by all political parties in Pakistan.
- A lack of affordable, safe medical clinics (we're not talking expensive multi-deparment hospitals here) with properly medically trained staff who know about basic hygiene and follow infection control procedures and use single use equipment once.
--------> Lead to a proliferation of cheap corrupt quack clinics, dentists, circumcisers , barbers and others who reuse needles, surgical instruments, and other equipment infecting the community.
- Low information and largely poor parents who seem to prefer hyperdermic injections for treatable childhood diarrhea over oral tablets.
- Spillover from Afghan war and heroin trade, which has led to an epidemic of heroin addiction in Pakistan and proliferation of discarded drug user equipment such as needles.
Now the latest estimate (2017) of people living with HIV (PLHIV) was 150,0002 . In 2018, 21,000 new PLHIV cases were recorded.
HIV cases–Pakistan
www.who.int
This so called 'local' epidemic is on the verge of tearing through all sectors of Pakistani society unless we all demand something is done now. Children aren't just dying, they are suffering and dying. EVEN IF PEOPLE HAVE TO GO VILLAGE TO VILLAGE EDUCATING PEOPLE about this we will save children's lives. We all have to do something practical now because the alternative is too upsetting .
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