In Karachi’s SITE Town, more than 15 children, some as young as one year old, have tested HIV-positive after receiving treatment at the Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security Hospital (Valika Hospital), local sources say. At least two children have died during this period.
The alarm first sounded when an 18-month-old girl fell ill and was treated at Valika Hospital, only to later be admitted to a private hospital where she was diagnosed with HIV. A community-led five-member committee — including representatives from Jamaat-i-Islami, PPP, ANP, and local leadership — then pushed hospital management to screen all children in the area who had been treated at the facility since August 2025.
So far, 18 children aged 1–9 years have been confirmed HIV-positive. However, campaigners warn this may just be “the tip of the iceberg,” with many more children still untested.
Health officials say screening is under way, and an antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre has been set up at Valika Hospital. According to Dr. Kanwal Mustafa, Additional Director of HIV/AIDS at Sindh’s Communicable Disease Control unit, investigations are ongoing. She cited common risk factors in Pakistan — like reuse of syringes by unlicensed practitioners and unregulated blood banks — as possible causes of transmission.
Irshad Khan, vice-chairman of the local union council, claimed to have personally witnessed “reuse of used syringes” in the paediatric ward, underscoring severe lapses in infection control.
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