HIV is not a death punishment, it can be treated: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

 

LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday said that HIV is not a death punishment and that it can be treated.

Taking to Twitter, Bilawal posted, “HIV is not a death sentence. The conflation of HIV and AIDS is fueling stigmatization of the most vulnerable people in Pakistan. This cannot and should not be tolerated. I stand by my fellow Pakistanis who have contracted HIV, be they in Ratodero, Swabi, Sargodha or Turbat,”

“From the Sindh HIV and AIDS Control and Prevention Bill 2013 to the free distribution of contraceptives Sindh has and will continue to pass and enact the most progressive legislation and programs to protect the most vulnerable,” he added.

A day earlier, while speaking to the media in Ratodero, Bilawal had announced that the Sindh government will set up an endowment fund for the treatment of HIV patients.

“There is a huge difference between HIV and aids," Bilawal said. “There is a lack of awareness about HIV in Pakistan Everyone needs to be aware of HIV so that they can protect themselves."

The PPP chairman further said that people need to understand that they cannot contract the illness by merely touching a person with HIV.

"HIV is not a death punishment, it can be treated," he said.