- Over 331 HIV cases found among children in Taunsa, Pakistan.
- Unsafe medical practices, including syringe reuse, suspected cause.
A major investigation has exposed a HIV outbreak among children in Taunsa, in the province of Punjab, Pakistan, where at least 331 cases were identified between November 2024 and October 2025, BBC revealed. Families of several children, including eight-year-old Mohammed Amin, who later died, and his sister Asma, believe the infections stemmed from unsafe medical practices, particularly the reuse of syringes at the government-run THQ Taunsa hospital.
Despite early warnings from a local doctor in late 2024 linking rising HIV cases to the hospital, authorities’ response was criticised as insufficient.
A crackdown was announced and senior staff suspended, but undercover BBC filming in late 2025 found repeated breaches of infection control, including syringe reuse on medicine vials, inadequate sterilisation, and poor hygiene practices. Experts warned such actions could directly transmit viruses.
Hospital administrators rejected the findings, claiming either prior recording or fabrication, and insisted safety protocols were in place. However, leaked data and official screening records suggest many infections were unlikely to be mother-to-child transmission, with contaminated injections listed as a likely cause in over half of cases.
The investigation also points to wider systemic issues in Pakistan’s healthcare system, including over-reliance on injections, shortages of medical supplies, and weak infection control training. Similar outbreaks have previously occurred in other parts of the country.
For affected families, the consequences are devastating: children face lifelong treatment, stigma, and isolation, while questions remain over accountability and the failure to prevent avoidable infections.
