Not aids, but the fear of the disease is giving Pakistan its worst nightmares. Recently, five-year old Saira was denied admission by a school -- not because she is Human Immuno-defficiency Virus (hiv) positive -- but because her parents had died of aids. Without a proper aids education programme, the nation's perceptions of the disease is as frightening as reality. After her parents' death, Saira remains ostracised and faces a life of isolation in a country that fears a disease it cannot understand. More children in Pakistan are reportedly dropping out of schools because of the fear of AIDS and not due to the disease itself.
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