(Karachi)  The service delivery packages (SDPs) for HIV high risk groups,  including female and male sex workers, will be relaunched and executed by health workers and non-governmental organisations this month, said a senior official of the provincial Aids control programme on Sunday.

The SDPs were closed in June 2010 when international donors and the federal government withdrew financial supports, but the Sindh Aids Control Programme (SACP) through the funding of the provincial government continued providing free diagnostic and treatment facilities, said a source in the programme.

According to an SACP surveillance report, Sindh had a cumulative figure of registered HIV positive cases at 582 by the end of 2003, which increased to 4,130 till Sept 2011. There were 40 children, 3,885 males and 205 females tested positive for HIV.

Furthermore, the number of confirmed Aids cases registered with the SACP increased from 85 (2003) to 195 (Sept 2011). The people living with Aids included two children, 164 males and 29 females.

According to the surveillance report, so far deaths of 140 people, including 10 women and 122 men and eight children living with Aids, have been recorded since Jan 2004.

The SACP has suffered because of interruptions in delivery of services for the prevention of spread of HIV infections and harm-reduction activities among the high-risk groups.

See the original news story on dawn.com.