At least 29 children under the age of three have tested positive for HIV in the Mirpurkhas district of Sindh, a deeply concerning revelation. According to a doctor, the actual number of cases is likely higher than reported.
This alarming situation was detailed in a letter dated June 13 from the director of health services at the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) Sindh to the director of General Health Services Sindh.
A particularly troubling aspect, highlighted by doctors at the Nutrition Stabilisation Centre at Civil Hospital, Mirpurkhas, is the observation of vertical transmission of the virus from mothers to their children in some cases.
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Among the infected children, two are from Sanghar, and one each from the Tando Allahyar and Badin districts. The Sindh government promptly sent samples of the infected children for retesting, which confirmed the initial positive results.
Between January and June of this year, health authorities collected 289 samples, with 10 percent testing positive for HIV, underscoring the severity of the outbreak and the urgent need for a comprehensive public health response.
