HIV outbreak in Karachi hospital kills 6 kids, infects 94
An HIV outbreak at a Government-run hospital in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, has claimed the lives of six children and infected 94 kids since November 2025, officials said on Wednesday.
Tahir Hussain Sangi, Secretary of Health in Sindh province, told PTI that the outbreak was first detected in November 2025 at the Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital in Karachi, which is run by the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution.
“We held our own inquiry on the health ministry’s orders, and the records we obtained from the hospital show that the outbreak started last November and six children have died from the HIV/AIDS virus since then,” he said. Sangi said 16 new cases of HIV among children have been confirmed this month, bringing the total number of children infected with the virus to 94 since last November. He said that after the outbreak, the Sindh health department deployed teams to conduct tests in the hospital’s vicinity.
Sangi said that of nearly 10,000 people who lived near the hospital, 120 tested HIV positive, including adults and children. The individuals who tested HIV positive are also being treated at Government expense. He said that under direct Government orders, the health department was working with a committee of reputable doctors to manage the lifelong treatment of the affected HIV patients.
Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani told the media on Wednesday that a standing committee of leading medical experts would be constituted to supervise both the treatment strategy and the management of a PKR 2 billion endowment fund set up for the affected children’s long-term treatment. He said that all affected children were receiving treatment at five leading institutions, including Indus Hospital, AKUH and Dow University of Health Sciences. Sindh High Court last week gave the provincial Government three weeks to explain the HIV outbreak at the hospital-a facility run under the provincial labour department. Haani Jamal Khan, the advisor to Sindh Ombudsman, submitted a report at a hearing on Tuesday in which the total number of children infected with HIV was shown as 94. The court directed the provincial Ombudsman to hold hearings into the matter after a petitioner filed a preliminary list of children infected with HIV/AIDS due to the alleged reuse of contaminated syringes and asked the SHC to order an independent inquiry, registration of a case and lifelong medical treatment, and appropriate compensation for the affected children.
