HIV cases on rise as homosexuality increases in Islamabad
After 519 cases of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were recorded in Islamabad’s youth between January and October of this year the majority of them were homosexual men. The incidence of HIV has reached worrying levels.
Surprisingly, young men between the ages of 15 and 25 made up the bulk of those who tested positive for HIV as a result of having physical relation with guys or trans people.
In the first ten months of this year, 519 HIV patients were registered at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, according to a representative of the National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination (NHSR&C).
According to a Federal Health Ministry official cited by the News, young men who identify as homosexual account for 40–45 percent of those instances, followed by transgender people as the second-largest category (not intersex).
The official went on to say that the Polyclinic Hospital in Islamabad has established an HIV treatment facility in response to the rising number of patients. Meanwhile, Dr. Nailana Bashir, Director of the HIV Center at PIMS, disclosed that PIMS has received over 4,500 reports of Aids patients.
