The government has planned to conduct a study to ascertain whether the high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) in Pakistan has any relation with AIDS as seen in some other countries particularly poor and under developed countries.
Official sources told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that correlation between AIDS and TB needs to be taken seriously, as there exists a huge connection between both the diseases.
The proposed study is aimed at checking this connection so that with comprehensive data, a strategy could be adopted to check the spread of the disease of TB as well as AIDS.
According to them, the government has already taken various steps to check spread of TB and AIDS with emphasis on awareness about both the diseases. TB, which was known as disease of poor people, is also hitting people of high class mainly on account of their wrong approach about living style.
The sources maintained that South Asia is home to about half of the world's poor people living on less than one dollar a day. Infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and respiratory illnesses have been a major cause of death and disability.
Resurgence of TB and the AIDS-TB nexus pose a major threat. HIV/AIDS has spread rapidly since 1990s to 2001.
According to the sources, global fund for AIDS had also approved Pakistan's treatment proposal under which $4.2 million grant would be provided for creating awareness about the devastation caused by AIDS, establishing 16 voluntary counselling and testing centers, regulating private blood banks and providing free treatment to people living with this virus.
In order to fight HIV/AIDS, Pakistan had developed an enhanced prevention programme and the government was striving towards meeting goals and targets committed at the international forums.
The sources said that there are as many as 47 centers across the country where free blood-testing facility were available, besides all public-sector blood testing centers would screen Hepatitis C virus in addition to Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS.
Different ministries, including education, population and social welfare, information and labour, would work together against the menace of HIV/AIDS, the sources concluded.