Pakistan's HIV Surge: A Man-Made Epidemic Exposes Healthcare Collapse

Two converging failures are behind this trajectory, an editorial in Pakistan's leading daily Dawn mentioned.

"The first is the collapse of basic infection control across large parts of our healthcare network. The second is the persistence of syringe reuse, despite a nationwide ban on conventional disposable syringes in 2021. Together, they have created what experts describe as a 'man-made epidemic'. The trail of evidence is troubling," it stated.

Outbreaks related to healthcare facilities have surfaced in Larkana, Multana, Karachi and Taunsa. In some cases, children as young as one year old have been infected with HIV after they visited clinics. According to the newspaper, experts have stated that contaminated injections and unsafe medical practices are the primary causes for rise in HIV cases, which are both preventable. However, there is lack of implementation and accountability.

"The Pakistan Medical Association's warning of falsely labelled 'auto-disable' syringes entering the supply chain should trigger outrage. Instead, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and provincial health bodies stand accused of a 'catastrophic failure'. Equally troubling is the state's indifference to data and transparency," the Dawn editorial detailed.

Meanwhile, medical experts at the HIV Centre of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMC) have voiced concern over an increase in the number of patients, stressing that the presence of HIV cases among children is particularly alarming. It also warned that cover-up of the disease and failure to undergo testing pose serious risks, with more cases being detected among men.

Programme Manager of the AIDS Control Programme, Zubair Abdullah, stated that the apparent rise in cases at the PIMS HIV Centre is largely due to more people coming forward for testing. He stressed the urgent need to inform people on how to prevent HIV, adding that an increase in testing across facilities is a positive development, The Express Tribune reported.

The data released by Pakistan's Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination revealed that 189 individuals have been registered as HIV-positive since October 2025. As many as 11 new cases were reported in the first 20 days of April. Male patients were more than females, with cases also identified among transgender individuals, while HIV being detected among children continues to remain a cause for concern, the report said.

- IANS