Shock waves across Pakistan as 127 Larkana kids test positive for HIV

KARACHI: Alarm bells began ringing in Islamabad over an out of control HIV outbreak in Larkana and the provincial government’s incompetence to deal with the situation after 25 more children and four adults tested positive for the lethal viral infection, raising the total number infected children during last 10 days to 127.

Sensing the gravity of the situation the international health organisations have decided to quickly dispatch a team of technical experts to probe into the outbreak after no let up was observed in an HIV outbreak that has gripped the Larkana district of Sindh for the last 10 days. An official of federal health ministry said following a discussion with UNAIDS Country Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Dr. Maria Elena G Filio Borromeo, they have decided to send a technical team of experts comprising an epidemiologist, a prevention specialist and UNAIDS strategic information advisor as well as officials from WHO, Unicef, UNAIDS and NACP to investigate the recent outbreak and present its recommendations to the government. “At the moment, provincial health authorities are not aware of the root cause of the spread of HIV infection among such a large number of children and to ascertain the reasons, a team of technical experts is being rushed to Larkana tomorrow to launch an epidemiological investigation into the HIV infection”, an official of National Aids Control Program (NACP) told The News.

He said the team would investigate whether HIV infection is being spread through reuse of syringes, unsafe blood transmission or if it is some deliberate action.

On Saturday 25 more children and four adults were tested positive for HIV in Larkana after 619 people were screened for the deadly infection. “So far, 157 new cases including 127 children and 30 adults have been detected during a mass screening drive underway since April 25, 2019”, Director General Health Sindh Dr. Masood Solangi told The News.