ISLAMABAD: South Korea will extend humanitarian assistance worth $100,000 in cash to help control the outbreak of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, the World Health Organization, which will channel the funds to the South Asian nation, said on Friday.
Spread mainly in the Larkana district of Sindh, HIV had infected 935 people in total as of July 13, including 760 children under the age of 15.
WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr. Palitha Mahipala, met South Korean Ambassador Kwak Sung-kyu in Islamabad earlier this month, and sought his support to deal with the HIV outbreak. Korean authorities in Seoul responded positively and said they would help the WHO fight the spread of the virus.
According to a media statement, WHO will continue to face a huge funding gap despite South Korea’s commitment since its project requires $4.5 million for the next two years to deal with the epidemic.
“I expect that other governments and international NGOs will join South Korea in supporting WHO’s efforts in responding to the HIV outbreak in Pakistan,” Ambassador Kwak was reported to have said.
“WHO highly appreciates the valuable support made by the government of the Republic of Korea enabling WHO to scale up its response to the HIV affected population in Larkana district,” Palitha said during her meeting with the South Korean ambassador.
The spread of HIV in Ratodero, on the outskirts of Larkana, was first detected by medical practitioners in April this year. Since then, health authorities have screened thousands of people to determine the scale of the problem.
In rural Sindh — long bridled by harsh poverty and illiteracy — access to information about HIV and other diseases has kept the large swathes of the population in the dark about how the virus is transmitted. Healthcare facilities in the province are meagre and negligence by inadequately-qualified doctors is common.
At the heart of the current crisis is one paediatrician, Dr. Muzaffar Ghangharo, who used contaminated syringes while treating his patients in Ratodero, police officials have said. Dr. Muzaffar Ghanghro was arrested on April 30 and has been charged with unintentional murder.
Senior Sindh police officer Sartaj Jagirani told Arab News last month that 123 infected children, whose family members had recorded their statements with police, had been treated by Ghangharo.
South Korea becomes first country to support WHO fight HIV outbreak in Sindh
South Korea becomes first country to support WHO fight HIV outbreak in Sindh
- Despite Seoul’s decision to contribute $100,000, UN health agency continues to face a significant funding gap
- Around 935 people, including 760 children, have been reported infected by the virus since April
Six international flights bound for Pakistan’s Karachi diverted due to dense fog
- Flights from Pegasus, Etihad, GulfAir, Flyadeal, PIA and Fly Jinnah diverted to Muscat and Islamabad
- Karachi ranked as fourth-most polluted city worldwide by Swiss air monitoring agency IQAir today
ISLAMABAD: Six international flights bound for Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi were diverted to Muscat and Islamabad on Sunday as dense fog surrounded the metropolis, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in a statement.
Karachi was ranked as the fourth-most polluted city in the world by Swiss monitoring agency IQAir on Sunday morning. Karachi reported an air quality index of 215, deemed as “very unhealthy” by IQAir.
“Due to fog, six international flights bound for Karachi have been diverted to other airports,” the PAA said.
“The diversion of flights in conditions of limited visibility is a standard safety measure.”
The PAA said Karachi-bound flights of Pegasus, Etihad, Flyadeal, and Gulf Air airlines have been diverted to Muscat.
Meanwhile, local airline Fly Jinnah’s flight from Jeddah has been diverted to Islamabad instead of Karachi, the PAA said. It also added that the Pakistan International Airlines’ flight from Madinah has been diverted to Muscat instead of Karachi.
Earlier, Pakistani authorities closed key routes on the motorway on Saturday night as thick fog enveloped parts of the eastern Punjab province.
Punjab cities face worsening smog each winter, driven by crop burning, vehicle emissions and industrial pollution that threatens public health and daily life. The smog season typically begins in late October, peaks between November and January and can persist through February.
As per a statement released by the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), the M-2 motorway was closed from Thokar Niaz Baig to Kot Momin, the M-3 motorway section was closed from Faizpur to Darkhana and the M-4 area from Pindi Bhattiyan to Abdul Hakeem was also closed. The M-11 route was also closed from the provincial capital Lahore to Sambrial.
However, the motorway routes were opened for traffic as visibility improved around 10:00 am on Sunday morning.
