KARACHI: There have been increasing concerns about the growing trend of children being infected with HIV in Karachi owing to the connection between such behavior and bad health practices in the medical sector.
A collection of data collected from some reliable hospitals, such as the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital & Research Center and Indus Hospital, has shown that there is an increasing trend regarding the infection of children with HIV within the last nine months. There is a belief that the increase in the infections of HIV in children may not be coincidental at all.
There has been a significant rise in the numbers of cases from ten in 2024 to more than seventy cases in 2025 at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital. At the Indus Hospital, too, there has been an uptick year on year, while early results of tests conducted at other paediatric facilities also suggest the same.
Affecting young children the most
According to doctors, the majority of people with this condition are young children aged below five years. It has also been found that the minority of such cases is caused by HIV-infected mothers, whereas the majority of infections are associated with exposure at health care institutions.
It was noted by health professionals that the injection of these drugs had become risky owing to the noncompliance of the medical practitioners with the infection-control guidelines in certain areas. The health professionals stressed the need for strict guidelines to be enforced by the government in order to stop the further spread of the disease.
The treatment of the individuals affected by the rise in infections has not been easy. Most children arrive at hospitals when the disease has reached an advanced stage, and their immunity has been weakened. The medical personnel also face difficulties since there is a lack of qualified medical practitioners specializing in paediatric infectious diseases.
Besides, there have been shortages of important medications such as those for antiretroviral therapy and tuberculosis treatment. Tuberculosis is usually common among people living with HIV/AIDS and shortage of drugs to treat these conditions is likely to affect many children.
It was reported by experts that the infection pattern is not limited to Karachi but involves a large number of patients who come from rural areas like Thatta and other interior districts of Sindh province. The reason behind this trend has been identified as unsafe practices of injection administration to patients in rural areas.
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HIV cases in Karachi demand urgent action
According to the health authorities, this current situation is because of a failure to learn from previous outbreaks. The need for improvement in monitoring and the need to follow health care protocols were also emphasized.
The panel further advised that there should be improved training of the medical professionals, stringent policies for the medical practitioners, and consequences for the violation of these policies. The doctors believed that coordination among the health departments of the provinces, the medical regulatory bodies, and the hospitals was crucial for resolving the problem.
HIV patients in the category of children have risen and therefore prompt attention by the government is needed. Health care providers have appealed to the government to take into account preventive measures, provision of drugs, and drugs themselves.
It is pointed out that the adoption of such initiatives would be instrumental in reducing the prevalence of HIV infections amongst the population.
