Qadeem Achakzai
Quetta: Viruses remain one of the most persistent threats to human health, with each virus affecting the body in different ways. Some individuals develop clear symptoms, while others remain asymptomatic carriers for long periods.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the world had already been grappling with numerous viral diseases, and today the challenge continues.
What remains most important is not only the presence of these viruses, but our understanding of how they spread and how they can be prevented.
Over time, science has made significant progress in developing vaccines and preventive strategies. Vaccination strengthens the body’s immune system, enabling it to resist infections more effectively.
Alongside vaccines, awareness of transmission routes, such as airborne spread, contact with infected blood, and unsafe medical practices, is essential in controlling viral diseases.
In the context of Pakistan and many other developing countries, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS remain serious public health concerns. Hepatitis B and C primarily attack the liver.
If left untreated, these infections can gradually damage liver function over five to ten years, leading to complications such as fluid retention, swelling of the body, liver cirrhosis, and eventually liver failure.
In advanced stages, there is also a significant risk of liver cancer. One of the major concerns is that infected individuals may unknowingly transmit the virus to others before diagnosis.
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HIV/AIDS, on the other hand, affects the immune system in a fundamentally different way.
The virus targets CD4 immune cells, replicates within them, and destroys them over time. As immunity weakens, the body becomes vulnerable to infections that would otherwise be easily controlled. In the early stages, individuals may appear completely healthy, which often delays diagnosis.
However, symptoms such as persistent fever, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, mouth ulcers, and frequent infections eventually emerge as the disease progresses toward AIDS.
These viruses spread primarily through three main routes: infected blood, unprotected sexual contact, and from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. In many cases, however, the spread is intensified not only by high-risk behavior groups but also by systemic weaknesses in healthcare practices.
In Pakistan, inadequate infection control, lack of public awareness, and unsafe medical procedures significantly contribute to the spread of these diseases.
The use of unsterilized surgical instruments, reused syringes, unsafe blood transfusions, and unhygienic practices such as shared razors, tattooing equipment, and ear or nose piercing tools all increase the risk of transmission.
This highlights that the issue is not limited to specific groups but can affect the general population through unsafe healthcare environments.
Although injecting drug users and individuals engaged in unprotected sexual activity with multiple partners are considered high-risk groups, the broader population is also vulnerable due to weak regulatory enforcement and insufficient hygiene standards in many healthcare settings. This makes prevention a collective responsibility rather than an individual concern alone.
Estimates suggest that hundreds of thousands of people in Pakistan are living with HIV, while Hepatitis C cases are even more widespread. The exact figures remain uncertain, but the continued spread of these infections indicates a need for urgent and sustained action.
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Pakistan is also among the countries with a notable burden of HIV in the EMRO region.
Despite these challenges, there is hope. Hepatitis B can be effectively prevented through vaccination, which is now routinely given at birth in many healthcare systems. Hepatitis C, although it has no vaccine, is now treatable with modern medication courses that can often cure the infection within a few months if diagnosed early.
HIV, while not curable, is manageable through antiretroviral therapy (ARVs), which is available free of cost in many treatment centers across Pakistan. These medicines allow patients to live long, healthy lives and significantly reduce the risk of transmission.
Importantly, HIV treatment has also improved outcomes for mothers and children, with medical interventions capable of preventing mother-to-child transmission when properly managed.
With consistent treatment, individuals living with HIV can continue normal daily lives, including eating, working, and social participation without transmitting the virus to others.
Pakistan’s network of HIV treatment centers and hepatitis control programs provides free screening and treatment services in many areas.
However, the effectiveness of these programs depends heavily on public awareness and participation. Regular screening, safe medical practices, and responsible use of injections and blood transfusions are essential steps in prevention.
Read More: https://vpulsemedia.com/hiv-cases-spike-pakistan-among-asia-pacifics-fastest-growing/
Equally important is the need to eliminate stigma. People living with HIV or hepatitis often face discrimination, which discourages testing and treatment. This not only harms individuals but also increases the risk of further transmission. Public health efforts must therefore emphasize dignity, respect, and inclusion.
STOP STIGMA.
STOP DISCRIMINATION.
STOP HEPATITIS B, C AND HIV/AIDS.
Thus, controlling viral diseases requires more than medical treatment, it requires education, awareness, and collective responsibility. Vaccination, safe healthcare practices, proper sterilization, and widespread screening can significantly reduce transmission.
When combined with public education and ethical responsibility, these measures can protect both current and future generations. The fight against hepatitis and HIV is not only a medical challenge but a social one, demanding unity, awareness, and sustained action.
The author is a Counselor at the HIV/AIDS Treatment Center, Bolan Medical Complex Hospital (BMC), Quetta. He has been working as a Counselor and Master Trainer across various institutions for the past 11 years.
The article is the writer’s opinion, it may or may not adhere to the organization’s editorial policy.
