The Mirpurkhas district of Sindh is reported to have emerged as a new HIV hotspot, with 150 children testing positive for the virus in 2024.
This accounts for over 26% of the 568 pediatric HIV cases reported in Sindh last year.
On average, 48 children are testing positive for HIV every month in the province.
According to health officials, in 2024, a total of 568 children were diagnosed with HIV across Sindh, including 78 boys and 72 girls from Mirpurkhas.
Other districts with high pediatric HIV cases include Larkana (52 boys, 35 girls), Shikarpur (27 boys, 19 girls), Hyderabad (36 boys, 25 girls), and Jacobabad (23 boys, 15 girls).
Sindh reported 3,446 new HIV cases last year, including 1,811 men, 813 women, 254 transgender persons, and 568 children.
On average, 287 new HIV cases were reported every month in Sindh in 2024.
Infectious disease experts attribute the rising incidence of HIV among children to poor Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices. These include the reuse of syringes and IV drips by unqualified practitioners and some registered medical practitioners in rural Sindh.
According to Dr. Faisal Mehmood, head of the infectious diseases department at Aga Khan University Hospital, the parents and other siblings of these HIV-positive children often test negative, indicating that unsafe injection practices are a leading cause of HIV transmission among children.
Health experts are concerned that the rising number of pediatric HIV cases in Mirpurkhas is reminiscent of the 2019 Larkana outbreak, where hundreds of children were infected due to unsafe medical practices. They warn that Mirpurkhas could face a similar outbreak without immediate preventive measures.
Public health officials are calling for widespread screening services, stricter regulations on medical practices, and adherence to infection prevention protocols to control the spread of HIV in Sindh.
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