سٺي موٽ زندگي آهي

شازيه مظهر

آءُ لفظن کي اڪثر هٿيار سڏيندي آهيان ڇاڪاڻ ته لفظ طاقت آهن،  اهي ماڻهو جي شخصيت، سوچ ۽ عمل کي ظاهر ڪن ٿا. لفظن ذريعي اوهان ڪنهنجي دل خريد به ڪري سگهو ٿا ۽ ڪنهنجي دل ٽوڙي به سگهو ٿا. ڪڏهن ڪڏهن لفظن جي مار اندر جھوڙي ڇڏيندي آهي. لفظن ۾ جيڪڏهن احساس جي مٺاس شامل ٿي وڃي ته دل ۽ روح خوش ٿي ويندا آهن. اهڙي طرح موٽ زندگي آهي،  لفظن جو هڪڙو ننڍڙو جملو ۽ منهنجي مضمون جو عنوان آهي. هن مضمون جي شروعات مون لفظن جي اهميت کي ظاهر ڪري انهن کي ڀيٽا ڏيڻ سان ڪئي آهي. انسان بنيادي طور تي حساس ۽ خودپرست مخلوق آهي. خودپرستي هن جي فطرت جو اهم حصو آهي. هن دنيا ۾ شايد ئي ڪو اهڙو ماڻهو هوندو جنهن کي پنهنجي تعريف يا پنهنجو پاڻ نه وڻندو هجي. ٻار کان وٺي پوڙهي تائين تعريف يا موٽ جي لفظن کي ٻڌڻ لاءِ بي چين هوندا آهن. موٽ کي زندگي سان تشبيه ڏيڻ انسان جي حثاثيت جي آخري حد آهي. لفظن جي هٿيارن کي جيڪڏهن ڪنهن سٺي مقصد لاءِ استعمال ڪيو وڃي ته هن ۾ ڪهڙي برائي آهي. موٽ انساني ضرورت آهي. اوهان جو سٺو ڪم هڪ سٺي موٽ جو طلبگار هوندو آهي. سٺي موٽ اوهان ۾ اتساه پيدا ڪندي آهي. موٽ اوهان جي ڪم کي وڌيڪ بهتر ڪندي آهي. اڪثر ٻار ڪو ڪارنامو سرانجام ڏيڻ کان پوءِ اسان ڏي نهاريندا آهن ۽ موٽ جو انتظار ڪندا آهن. منهنجو ننڍڙو پٽ مصوري ۽ آرٽ جو شوقين آهي. هُو اڃا مس ساڍي چئن سالن جو ٿيو آهي ڪا آڏي ڦڏي تصوير ٺاهي مونکي ڏياکاريندو آهي ۽ جيڪڏهن ڪنهن ڪم ۾ مصروفيت جي ڪري ڪڏهن ڪڏهن آءُ ڌيان نه ڏئي سگهندي آهيان ته ناراض ٿيندو آهي ۽ زوري مونکان وائو چورائيندو آهي. منهنجي وائو هن جي ڪم کي اڃا سهڻي انداز ۾ سامهون آڻيندي آهي.  انسان بنيادي طور تي بخيل به آهي. هُو لفظن جو استعمال گهٽ ڪندو آهي. رشتن کي بچائڻ ۾ موٽ جو وڏو ڪردار شامل هوندو آهي. ڪجھ رشتا تمام نازڪ هوندا آهن پر لفظن جي موٽ انهن رشتن کي  مظبوط ڪندي آهي. گهرواري جيڪڏهن هائوس وائيف آهي ۽ سڄو ڏينهن گهر ۾ مٿو کپائي ٿي ته سندس وڙ جو آفيس مان هڪ فون ڪال هن جي سڄي ڏينهن جو ٿڪ هڪ پل ۾ ختم ڪري ڇڏيندو آهي. جيڪڏهن وڙ سڄو ڏينهن دماغ کپائي گهر موٽي ٿو ته زال جي سهڻي مرڪ سان هن کي ڀليڪار ڪرڻ تي هن جي سڄي ڏينهن جي ٿڪاوٽ ختم ٿي ويندي آهي اهڙي طرح اها مرڪ مڙس کي جياري ڇڏيندي آهي. گهر ۾ ٻارن سان وقت گذارڻ ۽ وري ٻاهر نوڪري ڪندڙ عورت هڪ نه پر ٻٽي ڊيوٽي ڏيندي آهي ۽ وري موٽ ۾ مڙس يا سس جا هي ٻه جملا ته ڇا ٿي پيو سڀ مايون ڪم ڪنديون آهن، تو به ڪم ڪيو ته ڇا ٿي پيو؟  عورت کي ختم ڪري ڇڏيندا آهن. لفظن جي اها موٽ تڪليف ڏيندڙ هوندي آهي. اهڙي طرح عورت مزاجن ڪاوڙيل ٿي ويندي آهي. نه آفيس ۾ صحي ڪم ڪندي ۽ نه ئي وري گهر کي سٺي انداز ۾ سنڀالي سگهندي.  پر جيڪڏهن لفظن جي موٽ هن انداز ۾ هوندي ته شابس آهي توکي ايتريون ذميواريون ڪيتري سٺي انداز ۾ نڀائين پئي. يقين ڪريو ته اها عورت آسمان تي اڏرڻ لڳندي ۽ خوشي خوشي سان گهر ۽ آفيس جا ڪم ڪندي. اهڙي ريت گهر جو ماحول به خوش گوار رهندو. گهر ۾ڪم ڪندڙ ماسي جي ڪڏهن تعريف ڪري ڏسو ته اڄ ماسي توهان دل خوش ڪري ڇڏي، توهان واقع دل سان ڪم ڪريو ٿا. ماسي کي پنهنجي ڪم جي اجرت اوهان جي لفظن جي صورت ۾ ملي ويندي. سٺي موٽ همت افزائي جي هڪ شڪل آهي. ٻوسٽ زده هن ماحول ۾ همت ڏياريندڙ تمام گهٽ ماڻهو ملندا آهن. هڪ ٻنهي جي ڪم کي سارهايو، تعريف ڪريو. ها جيڪڏهن ڪا خامي نظر اچي ٿي ته هن کي سهڻي لفظن ۾ سامهون آڻيو ۽ صحي ڪرڻ جي ڪوشش ڪريو. جيڪڏهن ڪنهن ۾ ڪا سٺي عادت آهي ته ان جي تعريف سڀ جي سامهون ڪريو ته جيئن هن کي پنهنجي حيثيت جي خبر پوي ۽ هو پاڻ تي فخر ڪري اهڙي طرح ڪنهنجي غلطي يا خراب عادت کي وري ماڻهن جي سامهون نه پر اڪيلائي سمجهائجي ته جيئن ان جي عزتِ نفس تي ڪو اثر نه پوي.  اڪثر ننڍي عهدي تي ڪم ڪندڙ احساسِ ڪمتري ۾ مبتلا ٿي ويندا آهن. جيئن چپراسي، چوڪيدار، صفائي ڪندڙ جمعدار. جيڪڏهن اسان انهن کي عزت ڏيون ۽ انهن کي پاڻ سلام ڪريون ۽ انهن جي ڪم جي تعريف ڪريون ته اسان جو اهو عمل انهن ۾ تبديلي آڻيندو، هو پنهنجي ڪم وڌيڪ بهتر ڪندا. انهن جي ڪم جي تعريف انهن کي خوشي جو احساس ڏياري ڇڏيندو. مونڱي اشفاق احمد جي ان جملي تمام گهڻو متاثر ڪيو ته جڏهن توهان ڪنهن صفائي ڪندڙ جمعدار کي ٻهارو ڏيندي ڏسو ۽ ڀرسان لنگهو ته منھن تي هٿ نه رکو ڇو جو ايئن ڪرڻ سان هن کي پنهنجي ذات ننڍي محسوس ٿيندي. پر معذرت سان اسان سڀ اڪثرڪري ايئن ئي ڪندا آهيون جنهن سان اسان انهن صفائي جي ڪندڙن کي محسوس ڪرائيندا آهيون ته اسان جي صحت اوهان کان وڌيڪ اهميت رکي ٿي. ٿيڻ ايئن گهرجي ته انهن کي مٽي ۽ ڌوڙ جي نقصانن بابت ڄاڻ ڏئي انهن جي شخصيت ۽ ڪم جي تعريف ڪري انهن کي ان ڌوڙ کان بچڻ لاءِ منهن تي ڪو ڪپڙو لڳائڻ لاِءِ آماده ڪجي.  ڇاڪاڻ ته انسان صرف اسان آهيون بلڪ اهي به اسان جهڙا انسان آهن، انهن جا به اسان جهڙا جذبا ۽ ضرورتون اهن. صحت ۽ صفائي صرف اسان لاءِ ضروري آهي بلڪه انهن ماڻهن لاءِ ايتري ضروري آهن.  تنهنڪري اسان جو اهڙو عمل رستن تي صفائي جو ڪم ڪندڙن جمعدارن کي گھٽ درجي جو شهري هجڻ جو احساس ڏياريندو آهي.

موٽ جو تعلق انسان کان خالق حقيقي تائين پهتل آهي. اسان اڪثر شڪراني جا نفل پڙهندا آهيون جيڪو رب العزت جو پسنديده عمل آهي. دعائن ۾ پنهنجي رب جو شڪر ادا ڪندا آهيون. منهنجو رب جيڪو ڪنهنجي تعريف جو محتاج نه آهي پر شڪراني جي صورت ۾ اها موٽ رب جي رحمت جا درواز کولي ڇڏيندي آهي. اسان وٽ هر قسم جا ماڻهو موجود آهن. ڪجھ ماڻهن جي خيال موجب تعريف يا موٽ جا طالب نرگسيت جا شڪار هوندا آهن، جڏهن ته نرگسيت هڪ الڳ ذهني يا نفسياتي ۽ سماجي مرض جو نالو آهي، جنهن ۾ مبتلا شخص پنهنجي علاوه ڪنهن کي پسند ناهن ڪندا. هو خودپرستي جي سڀني حدن کي لتاڙي ڇڏيندا آهن. تنهنڪري، موٽ يا تعريف کي نرگسيت سان تشبيھ ڏيڻ سراسر غلط ٿيندو. سٺو عمل اهو آهي ته ماڻهن جي جذبن جي قدر ڪريو ۽ هر ماڻهو کي عزت ڏيو ڇو جو هر انسان عزت جو حقدار آهي ۽ هو عزت چاهي ٿو. اسان زندگي ۾ هر لمحي ۽ هر قدم تي ڪجھ نه ڪجھ سکون ٿا، ڪٿان نه ڪٿان ڪجھ پرايون ٿا. فلمون، ڊراما ۽ ناول وغيره ادب جون اهي صنفون آهن جيڪي اسان کي زندگيءَ جو درس ڏينديون آهن. دوستن سان ڪچهريون ۽ ڪتاب پڙهڻ سان ڄاڻ ملي ٿي. آءُ دوستن، گهروارن، ڪتابن، ڊرامن ۽ فلمن مان ڪجھ نه ڪجھ سکندي آهيان. اهڙي طرح موٽ جي اهميت مونکي هڪ انڊين فلم ڏسڻ سان ملي. ان فلم جو هڪڙو مشهور جملو ـ جادو ڪي جپڪي ـ مونکي ڏاڍو متاثر ڪيو، جنهن ۾ فلم جو هيرو يونيورسٽي ۾ صفائي ڪندڙ کي ڳلي سان لڳائي هن جي ڪم جي تعريف ٿو ڪري. يقين ڪريو هن جادو جي جپڪي جي اسان سڀني کي ضرورت آهي. موٽ جي اها جپڪي زندگي ۾ رنگ ڀري ٿي ۽ جيئڻ جو جذبو پيدا ڪري ٿي. ڪنهن به ماڻهو ۽ ان جي ڪم کي گهٽ نه سمجهو. اڪثر ماڻهو ڪنهن کي اتساه ڏيڻ بجاءِ چوندا آهن ته ڇا ٿيو. هي ته هن جو ڪم آهي. هن ڪم جي هن کي پگھار ٿي ملي. هي ڪم ڪري اسان تي يا سماج تي ڪهڙو احسان ٿو ڪري. اهو عمل سرار غلط آهي ڇو جو پگهار هن کي هن جي ڪم جي ضرور ٿي ملي پر هن جي ڪم جو قدر ڪرڻ هن جو حق آهي. تعريف جوڳا ڪجھ لفظ هن جي ڪم جو انعام اهن. پگهار هن جي بک ته مٽائي سگهندي پر عزت افزائي ۽ آٿت هن جي خوشي جي احساس کي جياري ڇڏيندا ۽ هو پنهنجي ڪارڪردگي کي اڃا وڌيڪ بهتر ڪري سگهندو. لفظن کي موٽ جي صورت ۾ زندگي ڏيو. سچ ۾ احساس مرڪي پوندا. احساس کي مرڻ نه ڏيو. اهي احساس ئي زندگيءَ جو جياپو آهن. اچو ته موٽ ڏيون پنهنجي پيارن کي، پنهنجي ويجهن ۽ پري وارن کي ۽ انهن کي جنهنجي ڪري اوهان زندگي ۾ سکيا آهيو.

روئندي روئندي او ساٿي، کلي پياسين

تنهنجي بس هڪ موٽ تي جي

Concepts, Importance and Disadvantages of Social Media

Mazhar Ali Dootio

http://theleader.com.pk/concepts-importance-and-disadvantages-of-social-media/

Social media is a phenomenon that has transformed the interaction and communication of individuals and groups throughout the societies and world. Nevertheless, social media is not a new concept or phenomenon of modern digital age. It has been evolving since the beginning of human communication. However, social media has impacted many aspects of human communication in the recent times. Modern age of social media starts when 'Web 2.0' term was introduced, therefore, it may be claimed that 'Web 2.0' signifies the actual changes. Therefore, social media refers to interacting with other people by sharing and receiving information. In today's society, the use of the social media has become a necessary day-to-day activity. It is typically used for social interaction and access to news and information, and decision making. It is a valuable communication tool to connect locally and worldwide, as well as to share, create, and spread information. A social network site is a social media site that allows users to connect and share with people who have similar interests and backgrounds therefore, social networks may be divided into some groups and categories, such as:

1.                  Bookmarking sites: Social bookmarking is an online service which allows users to add, annotate, edit, and share bookmarks of web documents.  These bookmarks are usually public, and can be viewed by other members of the site where they are stored

2.                  Social news: A social news website is an internet website that features user-posted stories or news. Since their appearance with the emergence of Web 2.0, social news sites have been used to link many types of information, including news, humour, support, and discussion etc.

3.                  Media sharing: Media sharing sites allow you to upload your photos, videos and audio to a website that can be accessed from anywhere in the world. You can then share that media with the world or just select group of friends. Many media sharing sites also allow you to place media on other sites by embedding. This is where you copy and paste a small snippet of HTML code into the web page and it tells your browser where to find the media,

4.                  Microblogging:  It is an online broadcast medium that exists as a specific form of blogging. A microblog varies from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregated file size. Micro-blogs allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links. The twitter is example of micro-blogging, blog comments and forums. There is difference between comments and forums.

According to Wikipedia; social media is interactive computer-mediated technology that facilitates the creation and sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. The variety of stand-alone and built-in social media services currently available. There are some common features of social media:

(1) Social media are interactive Web 2.0 internet-based applications.

(2) User-generated contents, such as text posts, comments, digital photos or videos and data generated through all online interactions are the lifeblood of social media.

(3) Users create service-specific profiles for the website or app that are designed and maintained by the social media organization.

(4) Social media facilitate the development of online social networks by connecting user's profile with other individuals or groups. Users, typically access social media services via web-based technologies on desktops, laptops and download services that offer social media functionality to their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. As users engage with these electronic services, they create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities, and organizations can share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content or pre-made content which posted online.

All web applications and also all forms of media are providing information and knowledge to masses therefore, they are in interaction with dissimilar types of organizations, people and societies, hence; all types of communicating web applications and systems can be considered as social because they store and transmit human information and knowledge that originates in social relations in society. This means that social media is a complex term therefore, there are different types of social media. Empirical studies show that the most recent development is that there is a certain increase of the importance of social media on the internet, which is especially due to the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook, wikis like Wikipedia, and microblogs such as Twitter and Weibo (a Chinese microblogging website).  Social media sites allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The difference of working of social media sites and other web sites may be measured on basis of integration, because social media sites provides integrated platforms that combine many media, information and communication technologies, such as webpage, webmail, digital image, digital video, discussion group, guest book, connection list or search engine and etc. It is, therefore, more appropriate to speak of social networking or social media sites that function as integrated tools of cognition, communication and cooperation. Social media sites are web-based platforms that integrate different media, information and communication technologies and that allow at least the generation of profiles that display information that describes the users, the display of connections, the establishment of connections between users that are displayed on their connection lists and the communication between users. These sites are just like all computer technologies cognitive systems because they reflect and display dominant collective values of society that become objectified and confront users. They are communication technologies because they are used for communication and establishing connections in the form of connection lists.

Social media sites are cooperative technologies because they allow the establishment of new friendships and communities and the maintenance of existing friendships. Therefore, new relations are developed for business and other purposes. By friendship, it is meant a continuous social relationship between humans that is based on understanding and sympathy. Social media provides means for establishing virtual communities understood as "social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationship in cyber- space" (Rheingold 2000). Social media, such as Facebook, supports cognition, communication/networking and cooperation (communities, collaborative work, sharing of user-generated and other content). So, a lot of personal and social data about users are generated.

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Some features of social media are integrated sociality that Social media enable the convergence of the different modes of sociality, for example, on facebook, an individual creates multi-media contents like a video. He or she publishes it so that others can watch and comment and allows others to manipulate and remix the content, so that new content with multiple authorship can emerge and share. One step does not necessarily result in the next, but the technology has the potential to enable the combination of all three activities in one space. Facebook, by default, encourages the transition from one stage of sociality to the next, within the same social space. 

Social media supports you to discover new ideas and trends from posts and ideas of connected or network of connected people, connect with existing and new audiences in deeper ways to know the culture, attitude, ideas and etc., discuss the local problems with international community, bring attention and traffic to your work and problems as well as build, craft and enhance your brand. Social media marketing has the power to increase customer loyalty therefore, it benefits and values your availability on social media. Viewing this, Social media is important for businesses, social contacts, cultural exchange, thought exchange, values exchange and etc. There are significant social media tools which make you and your business as prominent and successful. The tools may be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, google+ and Myspace.

It is easier and convenient to access information, provide information and communicate via social media. People are connected to each other and can make good use of these platforms for the working on their education, social development, political development, literary development and other issues. They build social relationships because social media is not just about brands connecting with their customers. Social media provides good platform to share your expertise, gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for, facilitate you to increase your visibility, give you opportunity to educate yourself and connect yourself to whole world anytime.

People who are addicted or habituated to social media may experience negative side effects such as relation break-up, time wastage, psychological disorders, eye strain, social withdrawal or lack of sleep, stress and other complaints. If you spend your time in investigating problems of others or arguing and quarrelling with people, you may experience stress, which can have a negative impact on your health. However, if someone uses social media with positive intents than he or she become more informed about current affairs, study and carry out research work, boosts self-esteem, assists others in getting jobs and etc. Social media helps people to keep up to date with the current technology updates, world social and political issues and etc. There are several impacts even the emotional impacts of social media because people use social media for many things, such as socializing, finding and sharing information, shopping and simply as a diversion. These are just a few of the ways that social media can improve people's lives. On the other hand, social media can cause stress and other negative emotions which may be the negative impacts. Therefore, social media is not a way which provide you emotional connections completely. It lacks emotional connection, decreases face-to-face communication skills and causes face-to-face interactions to feel disconnected, conveys inauthentic expression of feelings, diminishes understanding and thoughtfulness and facilitates Laziness.

Social media enables us to interact with each other anywhere and anytime – allowing us to observe human behaviour in an unprecedented scale with a new lens. The social media lens provides us with golden opportunities to understand individuals at scale and to mine human behavioural patterns. Social media world has no geographical boundaries therefore; everyone can be connected with any one all over the world. Social media tools are suitable for research and analysis. Data mining techniques may be used to rescue the destroying data. Though, social media data is significantly different from the traditional data that we are familiar with in data mining. Apart from vast size, the mainly user-generated data is noisy and unstructured, with abundant social relations such as friendships and followers. This new type of data mandates new computational data analysis approaches that can combine social theories with statistical and data mining methods.

HIV and AIDS: Expanding at an Alarming Rate in Pakistan

HIV and AIDS: Expanding at an Alarming Rate in Pakistan

Mazhar Ali Dootio

[My this article is published in theleader.com.pk]

http://theleader.com.pk/hiv-and-aids-expanding-at-an-alarming-rate-in-pakistan/?fbclid=IwAR0HQooMSIqL_niFZPVI863uHIVdlbQ0XMKcXAdIUuvnxm7GzLUNDqn23dg

Pakistan was long considered a low prevalence country for HIV, but the disease is expanding at an alarming rate, particularly among intravenous drug users and sex workers. HIV is a virus that attacks cells in the immune system, which is one body’s natural defense against illness. The virus destroys a type of white blood cell in the immune system called a T-helper cell, and makes copies of itself inside these cells. T-helper cells are also referred to as CD4 cells. As HIV destroys more CD4 cells and makes more copies of itself, it gradually weakens a person’s immune system. This means that someone who has HIV, and isn’t taking treatment, will find it harder and harder to fight off infections and diseases. If HIV is left untreated, it may take up to 10 or 15 years for the immune system to be so severely damaged that it can no longer defend itself at all. However, the rate at which HIV progresses varies depending on age, general health and background.  According to Wikipedia, HIV is recognized as a health concern in Pakistan with the number of cases growing. Moderately high drug use and lack of acceptance that non-marital sex is common in the society have allowed the HIV epidemic to take hold in Pakistan, mainly among injection drug users (IDU), male, female and transvestite sex workers (MSW, FSW and TSW) as well as the repatriated migrant workers. HIV infection can lead to AIDS that may become a major health issue. The Wikipedia page, which was last edited on 6 March 2019 at 02:24 (UTC), presents the sample distribution of high risk groups in the following table.

Province	IDUs	MSWs	TSWs	FSWs
Punjab	2,248	1,439	1,786	3,347
Sind	2,213	1,440	1,337	1,472
KPK	325	436	718	712
Baluchistan	730	359	338	345

The National AIDS Programme’s latest figures show that by the mid of first decade in new millennium, the number of HIV cases have increased to approximately 0,102 million (http://www.nacp.gov.pk/). This number was estimated little over 4,000, as the HIV cases reported since 1986. The UN and government estimated the number of HIV/AIDS cases around 97,000 ranging from a lowest estimate of 46,000 to a highest estimate of 210,000

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. People with HIV can enjoy a long and healthy life by taking antiretroviral treatment which is effective and available to all. Once a person has HIV, the earlier they are diagnosed, the sooner they can start treatment which means they will enjoy better health in the long term. It’s possible for antiretroviral treatment to reduce the level of HIV in the body to such low levels that blood tests cannot detect it. People living with HIV whose viral load is confirmed as undetectable cannot pass on HIV. Regular testing for HIV is important to know the status of patient. HIV is found in semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids, and breastmilk. Therefore, using condoms during sex is the best way to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. If someone inject drugs, always use a clean needle and syringe, and never share equipment. If someone is pregnant and living with HIV, the virus in her blood could pass into her baby’s body, during birth or afterwards through breastfeeding. HIV infects white blood cells in the body’s immune system called T-helper cells or CD4 cells. The virus attaches itself to the T-helper cell; it then fuses with it, takes control of its DNA, replicates itself and releases more HIV into the blood. Knowing how HIV infects the body helps people understand prevention and treatment options, and why it’s important to start antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible after testing positive. HIV cannot grow or reproduce on its own. Instead, the virus attaches itself to a T-helper cell and fuses with it. It then takes control of the cell’s DNA, replicates itself inside the cell, and finally releases more HIV into the blood – continuing the multiplication process.  In this way HIV weakens the body’s natural defenses and over time severely damages the immune system. How quickly the virus develops depends on a person’s general health, how soon after getting HIV they are diagnosed and start antiretroviral treatment, and how consistently they take their treatment. (Source: https://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids)

AIDS is a set of symptoms or syndrome as opposed to a virus caused by HIV. A person is said to have AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infection, and they develop certain defining symptoms and illnesses. This is the last stage of HIV, when the infection is very advanced, and if left untreated will lead to death. AIDS stands for acquired immune deficiency syndrome; it is also called advanced HIV infection or late-stage HIV. AIDS is a set of symptoms and illnesses that develop as a result of advanced HIV infection which has destroyed the immune system.

The earlier a person is diagnosed with HIV and starts treatment, the better their long-term health. Some people don’t get any symptoms during stages 1 and 2, but they can still pass on HIV. This is why HIV is often transmitted by people who don’t know they have the virus. The symptoms of HIV at each stage can vary in type and severity from person to person and some people may not get any symptoms at all for many years. Without treatment, the virus replicates in the body and causes more and more damage to the immune system. Around one to four weeks after getting HIV, some people will experience symptoms that can feel like flu. These may not last long and you may only get some of the flu symptoms or none at all. Experiencing these symptoms alone is not a reliable way of diagnosing HIV. Symptoms can include: fever (may be raised temperature), body rash, sore throat, swollen glands, headache, upset stomach, joint aches and pains, muscle pain. These symptoms can happen because body is reacting to the HIV virus. Cells that are infected with HIV are circulating throughout the blood system. The immune system, in response, tries to attack the virus by producing HIV antibodies. Timing varies but once someone has HIV it can take his or her body up to a few months to go through the seroconversion process. It may be too early to get an accurate HIV test result at this point, but the levels of virus in blood system are high at this stage. If HIV patient are not getting treatment then they may be more likely to get serious infections, or bacterial and fungal diseases that the body would otherwise be able to fight off. Symptoms can include: weight loss, chronic diarrhoea, night sweats, fever, persistent cough, mouth and skin problems, regular infections and serious illness or disease. (Source: https://www.avert.org/about-hiv-aids/what-hiv-aids)

The researchers and scientists believe that they can find a cure for HIV. They know a lot about HIV, as much as certain cancers. Scientists are researching two types of cure: a functional cure and a sterilising cure. A functional cure would suppress the amount of HIV virus in the body to such low levels that it can’t be detected or make someone ill but it would still be present. Some people think that antiretroviral treatment is effectively a functional cure, but most define a functional cure as something that suppresses the virus without the need for ongoing antiretroviral treatment. A sterilising cure is one where the HIV virus is eradicated from the body completely. There is only one known person who’s been cured in this way: Timothy Brown, also known as the 'Berlin Patient'. In 2007-08, Brown had chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant to treat leukaemia. His transplant came from someone with a natural genetic resistance to HIV. He was cured of HIV but scientists don’t fully understand why. Also, because bone marrow transplants can be dangerous, they’re not practical as a wider HIV cure. However, this process has given researchers important information that they’re using to work towards a cure.

Pakistan's growing population suffers the burden of having insufficient access to quality healthcare. HIV outbreaks at Ratodero, a small city and Taluka of Larkana. "According to some government reports, around 600,000 quack doctors are operating across the country and around 270,000 are practicing in the province of Sindh," said UNAIDS in a statement. Provincial health officials have also noted that patients are at particular risk of contracting diseases or viruses at these clinics, where injections are often pushed as a primary treatment option. (source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/coming-dozens-hiv-outbreak-sparks-panic-pakistan-190516061341489.html).  The reuse of syringes, surgical instruments, instruments of barbers, unauthenticated blood transfusions, wrong sexual connections etc. may be sources to spread the HIV virus in Ratodero. According to VOA News, Pakistan is registering approximately 20,000 new HIV infections annually, the highest rate of increase among all countries in the region, warns the World Health Organization (WHO). The international body says mortality among Pakistanis living with the virus, which causes the deadly AIDS disease, is also rising, in spite of the availability of life saving antiretroviral therapy. The government figures show that only 16 percent of the estimated 150,000 people living with HIV had been tested and only 9 percent have access to lifesaving treatment. The remaining 135,000 people are walking around in the communities as carriers of (HIV) infection who are ready to transmit infections to those who are not infected, even to their unborn babies. The HIV epidemic in Pakistan remains largely concentrated among the key populations, including people who inject drugs, the transgender community, sex workers and their clients and men who have sex with men. Official estimates show that Pakistan has seen a 45 percent increase in new HIV infections since 2010. The number of new HIV infections will continue to increase dramatically if implementation rates of intervention remain at current levels. (Source: https://www.voanews.com/a/who-says-hiv-epidemic-spreads-at-alarming-rate-in-pakistan/4683295.html).

More complex challenges are determining how to integrate many of HIV activities within other health activities, improve planning to anticipate future direction of the epidemic and its response and to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the interventions. The newspaper information shows a slower case detection and confirmation as well as any response services for the infected population.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”