3,900 children registered HIV-positive in 18 months, National Assembly told

The National Assembly was told on Friday that 3,900 children were registered as HIV-positive across the country between January 2025 and June 2026, with Sindh and Punjab together accounting for more than 94 per cent of the cases.

In a written reply, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal gave the breakdown: Sindh 1,915, Punjab 1,765, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 139, Balochistan 46, Islamabad 30, Azad Jammu and Kashmir four, and Gilgit-Baltistan one.

Citing World Health Organisation estimates, the minister said Pakistan's annual HIV infections had risen threefold, from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024. The number of screening tests rose from 37,944 in 2020 to more than 374,000 in 2025.

More than 417,000 people are estimated to be living with HIV in Pakistan, while 92,148 have been registered with the authorities, according to the reply. The registered figure is less than a quarter of the estimated number of people carrying the virus.

In a separate written reply, Kamal set out the burden of mental health conditions, saying more than 32.04 million people were affected nationwide. He cited the Global Burden of Disease study for the figure and said the number was rising, with Islamabad alone accounting for 300,000 cases in 2023.

The House was also told that around nine million people in Pakistan are living with Hepatitis C and more than 3.086 million with Hepatitis B. Kamal said a WHO report ranks Pakistan as the world's 10th most affected country for Hepatitis C.

Gilgit-Baltistan recorded a single registered paediatric HIV case in the 18-month period, the lowest of the eight reporting regions in the minister's reply. The province's figure was submitted to the National Assembly along with those of the other provinces, the capital territory and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The numbers were given in writing rather than in debate, and the House did not take up the health replies for discussion on Friday.