Families in Pakistan say their children contracted HIV after receiving routine medical care, raising fresh concerns over infection-control practices in healthcare facilities.
Parents raise concerns over hospital treatment
According to an NPR report published on September 22, dozens of parents have reported that their children tested positive for HIV after receiving treatment for other illnesses. The report says families allege that syringes were used on multiple children at healthcare facilities.
The reports have renewed scrutiny of basic infection-control measures in Pakistan, where previous investigations have also linked paediatric HIV outbreaks to unsafe healthcare practices.
A World Health Organisation investigation into a major outbreak in Larkana in 2019 found that 719 of the 876 people who tested positive were children under 15. Investigators identified unsafe healthcare practices as the most likely cause, including unsafe injections and weaknesses in infection prevention and control.
Children among those most affected
Recent reporting from Karachi has highlighted a significant increase in paediatric HIV cases at several hospitals. Dawn reported that 159 children had been admitted to three Karachi hospitals during the first nine months of 2026, with health professionals raising concerns about unsafe healthcare practices and inadequate infection-control protocols.
HIV can be transmitted through contaminated needles and syringes, unsafe injections and contaminated medical equipment. The WHO stresses that HIV is preventable and can be managed effectively with antiretroviral treatment, although there is currently no cure.
The latest cases have renewed calls for healthcare facilities to strengthen sterilisation, safe injection practices, screening and infection-control procedures to protect patients, particularly children.