Between January 1 and October 31, 2022, a shocking number of 519 people tested positive for HIV in Islamabad.
The majority of these individuals are young men between the ages of 18 and 25, who are classified as men having sex with men (MSM), as well as transgender people, officials said on Wednesday.
In the first ten months of this year, 519 new HIV patients who tested positive have been registered at the treatment centre at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
According to a National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination official, 51 people test positive for HIV on average each month in Islamabad (NHS, R&C).
The federal health ministry official claimed that of the 519 new HIV patients, 40 to 45 percent are “young men in the age group of 18 to 25 years” who identify as “homosexuals” or men having sex with men, while the other major group was transgenders, who were also engaged in “unsafe sexual practises.” The official asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The data show that at PIMS Islamabad, 38 new people tested positive for HIV in January, 61 in February, 40 on March, 34 in March, and 45 in May, with June recording the highest number of new HIV infections.
53 new HIV patients were registered with the PIMS treatment centre in July; 61 tested positive for the virus in August; 64 in September; and 49 more in the month October 2022.
