Doctors decry data blackout, seek HIV emergency in Sindh

Experts link spread to unsafe injections, poor screening and weak healthcare regulation

By Mukhtar Alam

KARACHI: Alleging that successive governments have failed to make consolidated HIV data public, senior physicians and infectious disease experts on Saturday warned that Pakistan’s HIV situation was worsening, with rising infections among children and low-risk groups reflecting serious weaknesses in the healthcare system. They urged authorities to declare the growing number of paediatric HIV cases in Sindh a public health emergency and launch urgent corrective measures.

Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club organised by the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), the experts said the informal information currently available suggested that “all is not well” with HIV prevention and control efforts across the country. They maintained that the spread of infection beyond traditionally high-risk groups pointed to systemic failures in infection prevention, regulation and surveillance.

They demanded a transparent and independent investigation by a committee of relevant experts, mass HIV screening in affected districts including Karachi division and other high-risk areas, and comprehensive audits of healthcare facilities in regions reporting rising HIV cases. They also called for free testing and treatment services, stricter accountability, and a long-term national infection control strategy.

Addressing the conference, PIMA Central President Prof Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said one of the country’s biggest tragedies was that a large number of people remained unaware of their HIV status because of poor screening coverage. PIMA Karachi President Dr Syed Ahmer Hamid described the increase in HIV infections among children as deeply alarming and said the issue must become an immediate government priority.

Weak infection control

Infectious disease expert Prof Asma Naseem of SIUT said repeated use of syringes remained a major cause of HIV transmission among children and should be treated as a national emergency. Dr Samreen Sarfaraz of Indus Hospital added that, according to the World Health Organisation, Pakistan was now considered among the most HIV-affected countries in Asia.

Prof Fatima Mir of Aga Khan University said the spread of HIV among children in Sindh had occurred largely because of contaminated injections and unsafe medical practices, calling it an entirely preventable tragedy. She stressed the need for quality treatment, stronger infection control, better data systems and mandatory training for doctors and healthcare staff in both public and private hospitals.

Pakistan Paediatric Association Sindh President Dr Waseem Jamalvi said most recent infections were linked to poor medical practices, including the reuse of syringes and needles, contaminated equipment, unsafe blood transfusions, quackery and weak regulation of private clinics. Pakistan Society of Physicians Sindh President Prof Qaiser Jamal said around 350,000 people were living with HIV in the country, while Sindh had reported 894 cases so far in 2026, many involving children.

Nationwide response strategy

The speakers said suppressing or delaying official HIV data served neither policymakers nor the public. They stressed that timely disclosure of case numbers, treatment coverage and outbreak trends was essential for evidence-based interventions and accountability.

They also appealed to parents to avoid unnecessary injections for children and reminded the public that HIV does not spread through casual social contact, but through unsafe injections, contaminated equipment, unscreened blood and other unsafe medical practices. They urged citizens to boycott quacks and seek treatment only from qualified practitioners.

After the press conference, a spokesman for PIMA said the organisation would soon formally write to the federal authorities in Islamabad, seeking annual nationwide HIV data, including province-wise details, to help experts assess trends and recommend corrective measures.

Photos courtesy: PIMA