Taunsa, Pakistan (Diya TV) — At least 331 children in Taunsa, Pakistan, tested positive for HIV between November 2024 and October 2025, most infected not through any personal risk factor, but through routine visits to a government hospital. Of 97 families tested, only four mothers were HIV-positive, and provincial screening data lists “contaminated needle” as the mode of transmission in more than half of all 331 cases.
The outbreak was not identified by health authorities. It was spotted by a private doctor, Dr Gul Qaisrani, who raised the alarm after noticing an unusual rise in HIV-positive children at his clinic, almost all of whom had previously been treated at the same government hospital. One mother told him her daughter had been injected with the same syringe as a cousin living with HIV, which was then used on several other children. A father said he had challenged the syringe reuse at the hospital but was ignored by nurses.
New HIV infections in Pakistan have risen 200% over the last 15 years, from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024. While HIV once predominantly affected high-risk groups, it is now spreading to children, spouses, and the wider community through unsafe blood management and injection practices. Despite this, in 2024 only an estimated 21% of people living with HIV in Pakistan knew their status, just 16% were on treatment, and only 7% had achieved viral suppression. Over 14,000 people died from AIDS in Pakistan in 2024.
Pakistan has registered four major HIV outbreaks since 2018. Poor infection control, unregulated blood transfusions, and the widespread presence of untrained healthcare providers are identified as the primary drivers. There is no comprehensive national surveillance system to track outbreaks or monitor unlicensed practitioners, making effective intervention structurally difficult.
The 2019 Larkana outbreak infected over 900 children under near-identical circumstances. Investigators at the time found that people were repackaging used syringes and selling them to doctors, and identified 500 clinics in Sindh province with unsafe practices. Reforms were promised. Public attention faded, and the system reverted to the same patterns.
Unsafe injection practices are common at both public hospitals and private clinics across Pakistan. In areas with low literacy rates, patients often cannot verify whether a provider is trained or licensed. Staff shortages and supply failures push healthcare workers to reuse equipment. Families are sometimes asked to purchase their own medicines. The WHO ranks Pakistan 124th out of 169 countries on healthcare delivery.
At the Taunsa hospital, a leaked internal inspection from April 2025 had already documented missing medications, reused IV fluids, blocked handwashing basins, and no sanitizer available in the paediatric emergency room. Unsafe practices continued regardless. When hospital leadership was confronted with video evidence of syringe reuse and injections administered without gloves, the medical superintendent claimed it could have been staged or recorded under a previous administration. The former administrator who had been suspended was later reassigned to another role involving paediatric care.
Eight-year-old Mohammed Amin died shortly after testing positive. His sister Asma was later also diagnosed. Their mother tested HIV-negative. As of early 2026, nine children in Taunsa have died from the disease and new cases are still being recorded.
Experts warn that without mandatory use of single-use auto-destruct syringes, binding enforcement of sterilization protocols, and independent oversight of public facilities, Pakistan will repeat this in another district within years. Given the record, that warning carries significant weight.
