The total number of confirmed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections linked to the transmission incident in Karachi’s Kulsum Bai Valika (KBV) Hospital rose to 94 as 16 more children contracted the disease.
Earlier, Sindh Labour Minister and Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) Chairman Saeed Ghani confirmed HIV infection in 78 children. The emergence of two new cases furthered the tally to at least 80.
The crisis at KBV Hospital first came to public attention in November 2025, when residents of Karachi’s SITE Town noticed a cluster of infections among children treated there.
Officials, however, trace the outbreak to October 2025, when the first six HIV-positive cases were reported to the provincial health department.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was briefed on July 14 that two internal inquiries had found serious lapses, including poor adherence to infection prevention protocols, inadequate use of protective equipment and improper handling of single-use syringes.
The first inquiry, submitted in November last year, identified 16 HIV-positive children, all linked to the KBV’s paediatrics department.
Last December, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS identified the crisis in Pakistan as one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, comprising of 21 nations, with annual infections rising 200 percent over 15 years, from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024.
