By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistan’s Health Minister Wednesday told the parliament that around 200 people have been found HIV positive in a small town in the country’s central Punjab province.
Mir Aijaz Hussain Jhakrani informed the National Assembly, lower house of the parliament, that HIV cases have been detected in Jalalpur Jattan town after an NGO set up a camp to check the virus.
Speaking during Question Hour, the Health Minister said the government is considering a law to make it mandatory for overseas passengers at airport to undergo HIV test.
He said after the report of the NGO, the ministry of health conducted tests in Jalalpur Jattan and found 77 out of 200 people HIV positive. He said 18 of these people are being provided treatment in Lahore while the rest are being traced as they have gone into hiding.
“There is a need to start a campaign in media to make people aware about the deadly disease”.
In response to another question, Jhakrani said that due to the prevailing law and order situation in the North West Frontier Province and non-accessibility of polio vaccine administering teams in some areas, the polio cases have ballooned to 101.
He claimed that during 2006-07 the polio cases had dropped to 27 and the country was on the verge of being declared polio-free.
However, he added, that news cases have been this year.
Last year, a total of 33 polio cases were found across Pakistan last year, according to health officials.
He said migration of affected people from the Bajaur tribal region and other areas have also resulted in increase of polio cases in other parts of the country.
“The government was taking steps on war footing to combat the crippling disease and regularly launches campaigns against polio”. He expressed the hope that the government will be able to eradicate this disease from Pakistan by the year 2009.