The first case of AIDS in Pakistan was reported in 1987, in Lahore. Since then, the number of people infected with HIV has gradually increased.7 The official number of reported HIV cases in 2002 was 1913, which had increased to 85,000 by 2005. The most frequent modes of HIV transmission among the Pakistani population include infection through sexual contact, contaminated blood and blood products, injecting drug use, and mother-to-child transmission. Although most sexual transmission of HIV is caused by unsafe heterosexual contact, homosexual and bisexual contact is also important.

The political setup and social dynamics in Pakistan present unique challenges to the implementation of a proactive and organised AIDS prevention programme. The relatively conservative south Asian countries of India and Bangladesh have begun to address the issue more openly. In Pakistan, however, sociocultural and religious taboos hamper recognition of HIV/AIDS as a sexually transmitted disease and limit discussion on sexual health.10 Although Islamic strictures and traditional social pressures discourage sexual licence to an extent, poor standards of public health and education in Pakistan still make the population vulnerable to HIV. Large sections of Pakistani society are still unaware or have misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. This section links you to resources, news, events and organisations working on HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.