Islamabad, April 20 (NationPress) Despite a decade and multiple outbreaks of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Pakistan seems to have made minimal progress. A recent report indicates that 331 children were diagnosed with HIV in Taunsa between November 2024 and October 2025.

These alarming statistics emerged even after the government initiated actions against the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, which included the replacement of its medical superintendent. However, undercover footage aired by the BBC has revealed that conditions remain unchanged, with syringes being reused on numerous children, injections administered improperly, and nurses handling medical waste without gloves. Parents have corroborated reports of reused syringes on their children. The transmission method for more than half of the reported cases was traced back to a "contaminated needle," according to Pakistan's prominent daily, Dawn.

The former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) expressed significant concern, stating that HIV is no longer restricted to high-risk groups. In a recent post on X, he remarked, "The practices uncovered by the BBC in Taunsa THQ merely scratch the surface. Similar issues are prevalent across all districts in the country. Consequently, blood-borne diseases are escalating due to extremely negligent healthcare practices, including the reuse of disposable syringes by healthcare personnel and drug users, unscreened blood transfusions, unprotected sexual activities, and unhygienic shaving methods. Our nation has the highest number of Hepatitis C infections globally, approximately 10 million."

This situation is likely to follow a predictable pattern: an initial wave of outrage, followed by blame and investigations, as detailed in a report by Dawn. The media will begin to cover the issue, the government will take some action, and soon, it will fade from public memory until the next outbreak occurs.

Similar patterns have emerged in four previous outbreaks: over 1,000 cases were recorded in Larkana in 2019, with nearly 90% being children; Jacobabad and Shikarpur became hotspots in 2023; Taunsa and Mirpurkhas are now likened to “another Larkana” after 150 children tested positive, while Dera Ghazi Khan reported an uptick in HIV cases due to unsafe sexual practices and the reuse of syringes by unqualified practitioners in 2024. Additional cases were also confirmed in Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, and Karachi.

However, these egregious practices have failed to elicit the necessary public outrage, as noted by independent journalist Zofeen T. Ebrahim in a Dawn article. She questioned, "Why do these outbreaks persist without accountability? In the specific case of the Taunsa hospital, it's evident that irresponsible practices continued despite leadership changes."

Ebrahim emphasized that alongside implementation gaps, a lack of public awareness remains a significant obstacle. Patients in public hospitals are often impoverished and poorly informed, making them unaware that a simple injection could expose them or their children to lifelong infections.