In Pakistan, some hospitals have become places of infection
A rise in HIV cases among children in Pakistan is being linked to unsafe medical practices, including the reuse of contaminated syringes and poor infection control in government hospitals. Health experts warn that systemic negligence and lack of regulation continue to put vulnerable populations at risk.
Why it matters
It exposes critical failures in public health infrastructure that lead to preventable disease outbreaks in developing nations.
In a small graveyard in Taunsa, a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, 10-year-old Asma kneels beside the fresh grave of her younger brother, Mohammed Hamza. He was nine years old when he died.
In the final weeks of his life, the fevers became unbearable. His mother says he begged to be allowed to sleep outside in the rain because his body felt as though it was “burning from the inside.” At times, the pain twisted his limbs so violently that she believed he would break apart in her arms.
Doctors later informed the family that Mohammed Hamza was HIV-positive. A few months after his death, Asma tested positive too. Yet neither child was born with the virus. Their family believes both contracted HIV during routine treatment at a government hospital in Taunsa, where growing numbers of children have recently tested positive amid fears of widespread medical negligence.
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