Technology is increasing the number of HIV in Pakistan

Increasing the number of people infected with HIV in Pakistan, especially among gay men and male sex workers - experts have warned.

According to the IANS report, mobile apps and social media have opened new ways of social contact in the 'conservative' country. Smartphones have added new dimensions of sexual freedom and have created ways to interact with partners from a distance, reported in the British Daily Guardian.

Sophia Furkan, a senior project officer from Pakistan's National AIDS Control Program, said: "In Pakistan, the availability of HIV / AIDS among teenagers and men has increased due to the ease of access to dating applications due to the availability of low-grade gadgets and technology improvements."

In the last 10 years, the rate of HIV infection has increased greatly in Pakistan. In 2005, there were 8,360 people infected with HIV in the country. It increased to 46 thousand in 2015, an increase of 17.6 percent. According to the latest survey, the global growth rate is 2.2 percent.

Furqan helped with a survey of HIV-infected people in Pakistan. It says that about 39 percent of survey participants said they have found a sex partner using the mobile app.

Furkan said, "In the survey, only about 8.6 percent of gay men have been told to use protection measures."

The UK and US experts have also said that dating apps can increase sexually transmitted diseases, in the report.