Summary At the same time, Pakistan’s HIV burden has risen sharply over the past decade and a half, with an estimated 350,000 people now living with the virus and deaths increasing significantly
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Pakistan is facing two overlapping public health emergencies, doctors warned on Saturday, citing a possible hospital-linked Mpox outbreak affecting young children and a worsening HIV crisis driven largely by unsafe medical practices.
The Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (MMIDSP) said failures in infection prevention, unsafe injection use and weak blood safety systems were allowing preventable diseases to spread within health care settings, putting vulnerable populations at risk.
“The outbreaks of HIV and Mpox have exposed the serious paucity of infection control measures in our hospitals,” Dr Naseem Salahuddin, said during a news conference in Karachi, according to a statement issued later.
“Immediate and urgent government action is essential to prevent infectious disease spread.”
Health experts noted during the media interaction Mpox infections among neonates and young children could be hospital-borne, with some fatalities already recorded. They added that recent cases without travel history pointed to emerging community transmission, raising concerns about wider spread.
At the same time, Pakistan’s HIV burden has risen sharply over the past decade and a half, with an estimated 350,000 people now living with the virus and deaths increasing significantly, according to the society.
Experts said repeated outbreaks — including the 2019 Rato Dero crisis in Sindh, which infected over 1,000 children, and more recent clusters linked to dialysis units and pediatric cases in Karachi — pointed to a pattern of health care-associated transmission driven by syringe reuse, poor sterilization and unsafe blood transfusions.
“The HIV outbreak situation in Karachi hospitals demonstrates that safe injections and safe blood are urgently needed,” Dr. Samreen Sarfaraz, an infectious diseases specialist, said. “Recent HIV outbreaks among children have highlighted critical gaps in health care delivery.”
The MMIDSP called on the government to enforce nationwide use of single-use and auto-disable syringes, ensure full screening of blood transfusions, regulate private health care providers and crack down on unlicensed practitioners. It also urged stronger surveillance systems and mandatory reporting of health care-associated infections.
Concerns over unsafe medical practices have also surfaced in recent media coverage.
An undercover investigation by the BBC this month reported widespread reuse of syringes and poor infection control at a government hospital in Punjab, linking the practices to a cluster of HIV infections among children, highlighting longstanding warnings by health experts.
