Islamabad, May 6 (IANS). The rapid increase in HIV cases in Pakistan is a system failure that is only now coming to light. According to a report, children and people at low risk are also getting infected with HIV. The reason for this is the health system that is in place to keep them safe.
A report and an editorial in Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn say that there are two big problems behind this. The first problem is the breakdown of the basic infection prevention system in the country’s health system. The second problem is the repeated use of injections, while common disposable syringes were banned across the country in 2021. These two reasons together have created a situation like a ‘man-made epidemic’.
HIV cases linked to hospitals and clinics have been reported in areas like Larkana, Multan, Karachi and Tanda. In some cases, even children as young as one year old, who had gone to the clinic for treatment, have been found infected.
According to experts, dirty injections and unsafe medical practices are the main reasons for the rise of HIV and both of them can be prevented. The problem is that there is a lack of proper enforcement and monitoring.
The Pakistan Medical Association has warned that counterfeit or mislabelled ‘auto-disable’ syringes are also entering the supply chain. After this, allegations of serious negligence have been leveled against the Drug Regulatory Authority and the provincial health departments. Besides, lack of data and transparency has also been described as a big problem.
At the same time, doctors at the HIV Center of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) have also expressed concern that the number of patients is increasing and finding HIV in children is especially worrying. He also warned that hiding the disease and not getting tested is making the situation more dangerous.
AIDS Control Program Manager Zubair Abdullah said that one of the reasons for the increasing number of patients at PIMS HIV Center is that now more people are coming forward to get tested. He said that it is very important to make people aware about HIV prevention and increasing testing is a good thing.
According to data from Pakistan’s Health Ministry, 189 people have been found HIV positive since October 2025. 11 new cases were reported in the first 20 days of April. Among these, the number of men is more than women, and cases have also been found among transgender people. The incidence of HIV among children still remains a matter of grave concern.
–IANS
AY/DKP