‘Man-made epidemic’: Pakistan witnesses sharp rise in HIV cases due to system failure

Pakistan is witnessing a major rise in HIV cases and this is not merely a slow-burning public health concern, but a major system failure of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government unfolding in real time.

An editorial in Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn highlights that many people in the country, including children as well as low-risk individuals, are getting infected with HIV not due to behaviour, but through the healthcare system meant to protect them.

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Behind this trajectory, there are two converging failures, the report highlights.

“The first is the collapse of basic infection control across large parts of our healthcare network. The second is the persistence of syringe reuse, despite a nationwide ban on conventional disposable syringes in 2021. Together, they have created what experts describe as a ‘man-made epidemic’. The trail of evidence is troubling,” it said.

Notably, multiple outbreaks related to healthcare facilities have come up in Larkana, Multana, Karachi and Taunsa, while there have been a few cases where children as young as one year old have been infected with HIV after they visited clinics.

According to experts, primary cases for the hike in HIV cases in Pakistan are contaminated injections and unsafe medical practices – which are both preventable. But no concrete steps are being taken to stop this as there is lack of implementation and accountability.

The report states that the recent warning from the Pakistan Medical Association regarding falsely labelled ‘auto-disable’ syringes entering the supply chain should trigger outrage.

“Instead, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and provincial health bodies stand accused of a ‘catastrophic failure’. Equally troubling is the state’s indifference to data and transparency,” it added.

Medical experts at various facilities, including the HIV Centre of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMC), have raised concerns over the increase in the number of patients. They have stressted that the presence of HIV cases among children is particularly alarming and have warned that cover-up of the disease and failure to undergo testing pose serious risks.

Zubair Abdullah, Programme Manager of the AIDS Control Programme, noted that the rise in HIV cases at the PIMS HIV Centre is largely due to more people coming forward for testing. Moreover, he asserted that there is an urgent need to inform people on how to prevent HIV, adding that an increase in testing across facilities is a positive development, according to The Express Tribune.

As many as 189 individuals have been registered as HIV-positive since October last year, as per the data shared by Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination.

Notably, 11 new cases have been reported in the first 20 days of April, while there are more male patients than females, with cases also identified among transgender individuals.