HIV Aids: New Identity of Larkana

Karachi: Larkana is ancestral place of Bhutto legacy and holds a central place in Pakistani Politics. Place became known to the world with the rise of stylish politician Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in politics. He still remains a powerful character in Pakistani politics followed by her daughter Benazir Bhutto. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged by a military dictator General Zia –ul-Haq while Benazir was assassinated during the rule of another dictator. Both of them are buried in their home town Larkana.

With a non-Bhutto taken over the Bhutto’s legacy Larkana seems to have found a new identity. City has now become HIV AIDS flashpoint Pakistan in 2013. Nearly 113 HIV cases have been reported in first two months of 2013. Newly identified cases include young lads, womenfolk and children. Nearly 20 people breathed their last in the city during the same period.

Chandka Medical College Hospital Larkana, is the only facility available in the city to take care of HIV patients. Number of cases registered with this facility has risen to 518 which is only next to Karachi.

“The increase in the number of cases this year is alarming. The unregistered and unknown cases are unaccounted for and that is also an alarming situation,” Said a hospital source.

This situation speaks volumes about life standard of ordinary Pakistanis. Poverty has risen manifold over past five year’s couple with worsening law and order situation. Poverty has forced many people to become sex workers while worsening law and order situation has allowed illegal trades to flourish in an un-precedent manner.

Larkana is an area with a major population movement. People travel to this city to pay homage to Bhuttos and to take part in different festivities of interior Sindh. Larkana is also a major trucking route and a political hub of Sindh. Numerous cheap rest houses operate in the city under the patronage of political influential and law enforcement agencies. These rest houses provide all kind of services including sexual entertainment through commercial sex workers who are not aware of precautionary measures.

Prostitution is illegal in the country so no regulations exist in the country. Commercial sex workers who are usually runaway children are a major source of transmission of HIV AIDS all along the trucking route from Karachi to Chaman. Truck drivers and cleaners are other major carriers of the disease.

However, sex workers are not the only transmitters of the disease. Being on the trucking route and poorly monitored in terms of Law enforcement Larkana is home to large number of Injecting Drug Users (IDUs). These addicts reuse and share needles which causes spread of the disease to different other people.