Pakistan HIV Outbreak: 331 Children Infected Through Reused Syringes at Punjab Hospital

Unsafe injection practices at THQ Taunsa Hospital in Punjab have left hundreds of children HIV-positive, with an undercover probe exposing systemic failure in infection control

At least 331 children in Taunsa, Punjab, have tested HIV positive between November 2024 and October 2025 — a public health catastrophe that a BBC undercover investigation has linked to alleged unsafe injection practices at a government-run district hospital. The Pakistan HIV outbreak has reignited fierce debate over systemic failures in the country's public healthcare infrastructure, drawing comparisons to a near-identical crisis in Sindh less than a decade ago.

How it came to light

The case drew national attention following the death of eight-year-old Mohammad Amin, whose family alleges he contracted HIV through infected injections administered at Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Taunsa Hospital. His sister has since tested positive as well. It was a private practitioner, Dr Gul Kaisrani, who first raised the alarm in 2024 after noticing an unusual cluster of HIV-positive children — the majority of whom had previously received treatment at the same facility.

What the probe uncovered

A 32-hour undercover recording by the BBC captured multiple instances of syringes being reused alongside multi-dose medicine vials. In several documented cases, the same vial was used to inject different patients, creating a direct pathway for transmission. Infectious disease specialist Dr Altaf Ahmed warned that even attaching a fresh needle to a previously used syringe body does not eliminate the risk — a fact poorly understood even among frontline healthcare workers.

The footage also revealed injections being administered without sterilised gloves, and improper disposal of used medical equipment. A leaked internal assessment from April 2025 had already flagged the hospital for poor sanitation, medicine shortages, and reuse of IV fluids — yet the BBC's recordings, made as recently as late 2025, suggest those warnings went unheeded.

Data points to hospital source

Health data analysed in connection with the outbreak offers a telling pattern: in the majority of affected families, mothers tested negative for HIV, effectively ruling out mother-to-child transmission at birth. In over half the documented cases, contaminated needles have been identified as the probable cause — a conclusion that points squarely at the hospital rather than community-level exposure.

Hospital denies, officials hedge

Hospital authorities have pushed back against the allegations. Medical Superintendent Dr Qasim Buzdar characterised the undercover footage as potentially "old or staged," insisting that standard protocols are being observed. District officials echoed this caution, stating no conclusive link between the hospital and the outbreak has been established. A joint inquiry by UNICEF, WHO, and the provincial health department pointed to multiple possible sources of infection, including private clinics and unsafe blood transfusions — a formulation critics have dismissed as deflection.

Stigma compounds the crisis

Beyond the medical toll, families of affected children report severe social stigma. Children living with HIV have faced isolation from their communities and, in some cases, exclusion from schools. One child, despite their diagnosis, has expressed the aspiration to become a doctor — a detail that underscores both the resilience of those affected and the profound injustice of their situation.

A pattern Pakistan cannot ignore

The Taunsa crisis is not an isolated incident. A major HIV outbreak in Ratodero, Sindh, between 2019 and 2021 saw case counts exceed 1,500, predominantly among young children — also linked to reused syringes and negligent practices at local clinics. A separate cluster in Karachi was similarly attributed to contaminated injection equipment. Health experts say these repeated outbreaks are symptoms of a deeper structural failure: chronic underfunding of public health, over-reliance on injections for minor ailments, and the near-total absence of infection control enforcement in rural hospitals.

What comes next

With the Pakistan HIV outbreak now drawing international scrutiny, pressure is mounting on provincial and federal health authorities to act decisively. Experts warn that without binding enforcement of sterilisation protocols, mandatory shift to single-use auto-destruct syringes, and independent oversight of public facilities, Pakistan risks repeating this tragedy in another district within years. For the 331 children already diagnosed — and their families — the question is no longer just about accountability. It is about whether the system that failed them will be allowed to fail others.