Pakistan's Sindh Province Faces Major Child HIV Outbreak

Authorities in Pakistan's Sindh province have ordered an investigation into a major HIV outbreak among children at a government-run hospital in Karachi, where at least 40 children have tested positive for the virus over the past week.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed strict accountability over the crisis at the Kulsumbai Valika Hospital, where cases of children testing positive for HIV have been reported in recent days. According to state media reports, the affected children, many under the age of 12, were primarily admitted to the hospital's pediatrics ward, APP reported.

The outbreak comes as Pakistan faces one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, with new infections rising by 200% over the last 15 years – from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024.

Rising Child Infections And Unsafe Medical Practices

According to WHO and UNAIDS data, children are increasingly being affected. New HIV cases among those aged 0-14 surged from 530 in 2010 to 1,800 in 2023. In several recent outbreaks, over 80% of detected cases involved children.

Children have been exposed to HIV through unsafe injections and blood transfusions in recent outbreaks across multiple districts, including Shaheed Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Naushahro Feroze, and Pathan Colony in 2025, as well as Taunsa, Mirpur Khas, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, and Larkana in previous years.

Only 14% of pregnant women in need of treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV receive it, leaving thousands of children at risk, according to WHO and UNAIDS.

Stigma And Lack Of Awareness

Pakistan is estimated to have 350,000 people living with HIV, but almost 8 in 10 are unaware of their status. In 2024, only an estimated 21% of people living with HIV in Pakistan knew their status, just 16% were on treatment, and only 7% had achieved viral load suppression, according to WHO and UNAIDS.

An estimated 14,000 people died due to AIDS in Pakistan in 2024, with over 1,100 AIDS-related deaths affecting children in 2023.

The outbreak in Sindh highlights long-standing systemic issues, including unsafe blood management and injection practices, gaps in infection prevention and control, a lack of HIV testing during antenatal care, stigma, and limited access to HIV services, according to WHO and UNAIDS.