Rising Use of Injectable Drugs May Lead to HIV Epidemic in Pakistan

On Tuesday, UN and government officials said the number of injecting drug users in Pakistan is on the increase, which could lead to an upswing in HIV infections. "The writing is on the wall for Pakistan: either get a grip on injecting drug use and sharing of needles or get ready to face and HIV/AIDS epidemic," Vincent McClean, representative of the UN office of Drugs and Crime, said during the launch of the International Narcotics Control Board report.

"The injecting drug use and sharing of needles is the fastest way to accelerate an HIV/AIDS epidemic," said McClean. "Once the needle-sharing drug injectors reach a critical mass, there is a very rapid spread into the general population through sexual transmission."

Major General Nadeem Ahmed, commander of Pakistan's Anti Narcotics Force, said the government is aware of the threat. "We still are a low-prevalence country, but there is a cause for alarm," said Ahmed. "We need to move faster on this."

About a year ago, Ahmed's force in the southern city of Larkana apprehended some 100 IV heroin users, and 17 of them tested HIV-positive. Two of infected persons had even donated blood, Ahmed noted. "Injecting drug users are like a ticking time bomb," he said.

According to Ahmed, Pakistan has about 4 million drug users. Nearly half a million of these use heroin, and 12 percent of them inject the drug. Though the country was declared poppy-free in 2000, Pakistan has seen a resurgence of poppy cultivation during the last two years. Pakistan also shares a 1,553-mile border with Afghanistan, the world's largest opium producer.

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