Karachi: Fears of another HIV outbreak in Sindh intensified on Saturday after 25 children and two healthcare workers at the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Khairpur tested positive for HIV within days, while seven critically ill infected children remained admitted at the hospital with severe pneumonia and diarrhea.
Health officials confirmed that four new pediatric HIV cases were detected on Saturday alone, taking the total number of HIV positive children identified at GIMS during the past week to 25. Eight children were admitted to a special isolation ward for treatment, where one little girl later died due to complications.
Officials in the Sindh health department and GIMS also confirmed that screening of healthcare workers at the facility had revealed HIV infection in two members of the nursing and paramedic staff, raising further concerns over unsafe infection control practices and possible healthcare associated transmission of bloodborne infections.
Director GIMS Dr Rahim Bux Bhatti said most HIV positive children reaching the hospital were already severely ill and had been referred from different districts of upper Sindh for emergency treatment.
“Severely sick children are being referred to GIMS and when they are screened for HIV, some of them are testing positive,” Dr Bhatti said.
He added that GIMS did not have a dedicated HIV treatment centre and therefore only critically ill children requiring emergency care were being admitted, while stable patients were being referred to HIV treatment facilities in Larkana, Sukkur and other districts.
According to Dr Bhatti, HIV screening at GIMS was initially being conducted through rapid testing kits while confirmation of infection required HIV Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) blood testing, which detects the genetic material of the virus.
He maintained that children from Sukkur, Naushahro Feroze and Nawabshah were also being referred to GIMS and added that all admitted children were being screened for HIV and Hepatitis B and C.
“As we are screening all admitted children for HIV and viral hepatitis, some are testing positive either for HIV, hepatitis or both infections,” he said.
Officials in the Directorate General of Health Services Sindh in Hyderabad confirmed the newly reported HIV cases but said screening at GIMS was not entirely being carried out through WHO prequalified kits, making independent confirmation necessary.
“Today, GIMS officials informed us that four more children tested positive for HIV on Saturday, raising the total number of cases to 25 this week,” a senior Sindh health official said.
“At present, seven HIV positive children suffering from diarrhea and pneumonia are under treatment at the healthcare facility,” the official added.
However, district health officials in Khairpur and some GIMS officials claimed the actual number of HIV infections detected in recent weeks could be much higher than officially documented.
According to them, at least 125 HIV cases have been identified since April 1, 2026, but data for many earlier patients was unavailable at GIMS because they had already been referred to HIV treatment centres in Larkana, Sukkur and other districts.
Health officials said screening of all children for HIV and viral hepatitis was intensified after the recent Mpox outbreak in Khairpur and surrounding areas.
“It was decided after the Mpox outbreak that every child brought to GIMS would be screened for HIV and Hepatitis B and C,” a health official said, adding that HIV had now emerged as one of the most commonly detected infections among seriously ill children arriving at the hospital.
Officials further disclosed that a team from CDC-I Sindh had independently screened several HIV positive children at GIMS using WHO prequalified kits and some cases were again confirmed positive.
According to officials, the Sindh health department had assured GIMS authorities of supplying WHO prequalified HIV screening kits, but the kits had yet to arrive.
Health experts and officials associated with the investigations said reuse of syringes, IV cannulas, IV sets, contaminated needles, unsafe blood transfusions and poor infection control practices by quacks and some careless healthcare providers remained the most likely causes behind rising HIV infections among children in upper Sindh.
The latest cases have emerged at a time when Sindh continues to carry one of the country’s highest HIV burdens among children.
Official HIV surveillance data show that Sindh reported 3,859 new HIV cases during 2025, while another 894 cases were registered during the first three months of 2026, averaging nearly 300 new HIV infections per month in the province.
Public health experts warned that the detection of HIV among children and healthcare workers at a major healthcare facility highlighted the urgent need for large scale screening, strict infection prevention measures and a comprehensive epidemiological investigation to determine the actual scale and source of the infections in upper Sindh.
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