In messages published Thursday to commemorate World AIDS Day, President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz urged Pakistanis to adopt protective measures to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

By September, Pakistan reported 3,073 confirmed AIDS cases and just over 80,000 HIV cases in the country of 162 million. Of the total AIDS patients, 36 percent contracted the disease through sexual intercourse and 22 percent from the use of infected syringes. While noting the "low prevalence" of HIV in Pakistan, Musharraf echoed a UN warning that the country is "highly vulnerable to the escalating pandemic due to a number of significant risks."

However, Musharraf expressed confidence that collective efforts by the government and citizens will succeed in limiting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.

Aziz said HIV/AIDS education and prevention are key to fighting the disease. "On this World AIDS Day, I urge all Pakistanis to acquire knowledge on ways and means of prevention against the fatal disease," he said.

Shukria Gul, the first HIV-positive woman to speak publicly about her disease in Pakistan, said increasing knowledge about AIDS is helping change behaviors in the Islamic country, where the disease is still considered taboo. "I had some problems initially even from my family members but things are now changing," said Gul, who contracted HIV from her husband around 10 years ago. Her husband, who was infected through a blood transfusion, has since died.

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