Karachi: More than 1,515 children were infected with HIV in Sindh from January 2025 to March 2026, with data showing that on average around 101 new paediatric cases were being reported every month, exposing uninterrupted transmission through unsafe healthcare practices across the province.
Official figures show that 1,515 children, including 923 boys and 592 girls, were registered as HIV positive in Sindh during the 15 month period.
Of these, 1,186 cases were reported in 2025, while another 329 children, including 188 boys and 141 girls, were diagnosed between January and March 2026, indicating that transmission remains active despite repeated alerts from health authorities.
Sindh accounted for more than 70 percent of all paediatric HIV infections reported in entire Pakistan during the period, making it the epicentre of the country’s HIV burden among children.
A detailed analysis of the data shows that paediatric HIV infections continued throughout 2025 without any meaningful decline, with an average of around 101 children being infected every month in Sindh.
Health experts say this steady monthly average is more alarming than isolated spikes as it points to continuous exposure rather than contained outbreaks.
“The fact that around 100 children are getting infected every month in a single province is extremely concerning. This clearly indicates ongoing unsafe practices in the healthcare system,” a senior official at the federal health ministry said.
The trend persisted into 2026, with 329 additional cases recorded in just three months, averaging more than 100 infections per month, confirming that the drivers of transmission remain largely unchecked.
Public health experts say the consistency of infections month after month points towards entrenched practices in parts of Sindh, particularly in districts such as Larkana, Qambar Shahdadkot and adjoining areas, where previous outbreaks had exposed widespread reuse of syringes, unsafe intravenous infusions and poor regulation of private clinics.
“The pattern we are seeing is not of sporadic outbreaks but of continuous transmission. When children are getting infected every single month, it means the source of infection is still there,” the federal health ministry official said.
The Larkana division, which witnessed the 2019 Ratodero outbreak that infected hundreds of children, continues to be flagged as a high risk zone, with many rural and peri urban areas still relying on unregulated healthcare providers and informal practitioners.
Officials in the Sindh health department acknowledged that while surveillance has improved, structural challenges remain.
“We are detecting more cases because of better screening, but the persistence of infections shows that unsafe practices, especially in the private sector, have not been fully controlled,” a provincial official said.
Public health specialists say children in these areas are often exposed through repeated therapeutic injections, drips and minor procedures carried out in poorly regulated settings, where sterilisation protocols are either weak or absent. Inadequate screening of blood for transfusions and dental procedures has also been cited as a contributing factor.
Across the rest of the country, Punjab reported the second highest number of paediatric HIV cases, with 418 children registered in 2025, including 247 boys and 171 girls. However, no cases were reflected in the dataset for January to March 2026, which officials said could be due to delays in reporting rather than an actual drop in infections.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 111 child infections during the 15 month period, including 90 in 2025 and 21 in early 2026, while Balochistan reported 38 cases and Islamabad 22 cases. Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan reported three and one cases respectively.
Nationwide, 2,108 children were registered as HIV positive from January 2025 to March 2026, with Sindh alone contributing the overwhelming majority.
Health experts warn that the steady average of around 100 infections per month among children in Sindh is a clear sign that preventable transmission routes remain widespread.
They say unless authorities enforce strict standards on injection safety, eliminate reuse of syringes, ensure proper screening of blood and crack down on unlicensed practitioners, the province will continue to generate new infections among children, keeping Pakistan’s HIV epidemic firmly entrenched in the general population.
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