KARACHI – A three-year-old girl from Orangi Town has tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), raising the total number of infected children in the area to 107, health authorities and the child’s family said.
According to the family, the diagnosis was confirmed through three separate laboratory tests: Rapid Detect, Uni-Gold, and HIV Combo (Ag/Ab), all of which returned positive results.
The girl’s parents said she had received treatment at the government-run Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security SITE Hospital, commonly known as Valika Hospital. They alleged that her health began to deteriorate after the treatment, prompting them to have her tested for HIV.
The latest case comes amid an ongoing investigation into an HIV outbreak involving children who reportedly received treatment at Valika Hospital in Karachi’s SITE Town.
Health officials have confirmed that 107 children from Orangi Town have so far tested positive for HIV. The death toll among infected children in Zia Colony has reached nine.
Several affected families have alleged that contaminated syringes were reused on multiple patients at the hospital, leading to the spread of the virus.
In February, Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal said the outbreak had been caused by the reuse of contaminated syringes at Valika Hospital.
Addressing the National Assembly on June 10, the minister said the federal government had banned five types of syringes following a rise in HIV cases across the country. He added that increasing numbers of infections had also been reported in Islamabad and Taunsa.
The Sindh Health Department has also reported an increase in HIV cases across the province during 2026.
According to the minister, around 366,000 people in Pakistan are living with HIV/AIDS. He said the disease is treatable if diagnosed early and managed appropriately.
He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had constituted a special committee to help contain the spread of HIV, while the federal government was coordinating with provincial authorities to strengthen prevention and control measures.
