Karachi: HIV cases among children in Pathan Colony and other neighbourhoods of SITE Town are continuing to rise as more worried parents are bringing their children to Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital for screening, where hospital officials say at least 30 children have so far tested positive for HIV.
Despite repeated requests from the media, officials of the Sindh AIDS Control Program, now working as the CDC for HIV AIDS, refused to share the actual number of cases from the fresh outbreak. They avoided giving the district-wise HIV situation as well. Insiders said they feared backlash from the public and their senior leadership if the data was made public.
It is learnt that deputy director of the CDC HIV AIDS Dr. Kanwal Mustafa, who is responsible for surveillance and response, is the spouse of a powerful government functionary. Due to her influence, she continues to hold the position despite what officials described as poor performance. Even the provincial health minister has been unable to remove her or appoint a senior and competent officer in her place, the sources added.
Senior officials in the Directorate General Health Sindh, including the Director Health Karachi, were also accused of following a pattern of hiding data to downplay the magnitude of the crisis. Officials confirmed that the actual number of children and adults infected in SITE Town and nearby areas was likely much higher than reported.
Pediatricians and infectious diseases experts warned the situation was alarming and said the outbreak at Valika Hospital was only the beginning. “This is just the tip of the iceberg and if screening is launched on the pattern of Ratodero, hundreds of new cases could surface in Karachi,” one expert told VitalsNews, urging the government to start immediate screening in Keamari, West and Malir districts.
Experts said hundreds of children may be living with undetected HIV due to widespread unsafe medical practices, especially by unqualified practitioners and informal healthcare providers. They said no structured campaign had been launched so far to detect cases among children, despite clear evidence of an outbreak.
On the other hand, Sindh Healthcare Commission has initiated action after HIV cases were reported at Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital in Keamari. SHCC anti quackery director Dr Zubair Soomro and his team met Deputy Commissioner Keamari Tariq Chandio to discuss regulatory enforcement, healthcare standards and disease prevention across the district.
The meeting raised concern over the illegal de sealing of clinics run by unqualified practitioners and called for strict action to maintain state authority. It was agreed that SHCC, the Deputy Commissioner Office, SSP Keamari and the District Health Officer would jointly inspect hospitals in the district. A district wide crackdown against quacks would be launched with the support of law enforcement agencies and FIRs would be registered against violators.
The Deputy Commissioner assured that the spread of HIV was a serious threat and, as per instructions of the Sindh Minister for Health, administrative and police support would be provided to SHCC during action. Assistant Commissioners would also accompany Anti Quackery teams during operations.
An SHCC inspection team also visited Valika Hospital to review infection prevention and control measures, patient safety protocols, waste management and adherence to safe injection practices.
Health professionals said urgent steps to screen children, shut down unsafe clinics and start awareness campaigns were needed to prevent the situation from turning into a large scale crisis similar to Ratodero.
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