Dozens of Pakistani children reportedly contract HIV after hospital visits
EdexLive and The Times of India report routine hospital care as the source, but details remain unconfirmed.
Reports carried by two Indian news outlets on 23 September say dozens of children in Pakistan have contracted HIV after hospital visits. EdexLive published the lead report under the headline 'Dozens of Pakistani children contract HIV after hospital visits,' and The Times of India followed with 'Pakistan’s hidden health crisis: Children contract HIV after routine hospital care.'
The Times of India described the infections as occurring after routine hospital care, while EdexLive said they followed hospital visits. Neither outlet, in the material available to Skardu Times, named a city, hospital, or province. The reports also did not give the children's ages, the number of cases beyond 'dozens,' or the period over which the infections were detected.
No statement from Pakistan's federal or provincial health departments, or from the National AIDS Control Programme, was included in either report. Skardu Times could not independently verify the reports.
The reports come without official confirmation, and no Pakistani official has commented publicly as of filing. The lack of detail means the scale and source of the outbreak, if confirmed, remain unclear. The outlets did not say whether the children are receiving treatment, whether any hospital has been sealed, or whether staff have been suspended.
Pakistan has faced previous HIV outbreaks linked to unsafe injections and blood transfusions, but the reports did not reference any specific past incident or compare the current cases to earlier ones. The Ministry of National Health Services has not issued a statement on its website or social media as of filing.
Because the full text of both reports was not retrievable, the only facts available to this desk are the headlines and standfirsts quoted above. The original reports may contain additional details not visible here.
Skardu Times has reached out to the Ministry of National Health Services for comment and will update this report when more information is available.
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