THE Pakistan Medical Association’s “high level alert” over the alarming spike in HIV cases among Sindh’s children is a warning that cannot be taken lightly. The body has called for stringent enforcement of infection control measures with crackdowns on quack clinics and illegal blood banks. As per the PMA, the provincial figure for registered HIV-positive children stands at 3,995. Over 100 fresh incidents have come to light in Karachi alone. This tragedy is not just a health emergency. It is a full-blown threat to our socioeconomic well-being. Families, wedged between poor income and lifelong treatment, end up in a debt whirlpool. As virus control remains absent despite several HIV eruptions, the association not only recalled the 2019 Ratodero horror, but raised justified concerns over the capability of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme.

Last October, the health minister was informed about over 600,000 sham doctors practising in Sindh with 40pc of them in Karachi. Other than routine orders, there was little effort to set accountability processes, databanks, and funding in motion. Additionally, repeated violations of global SOPs exacerbate the problem. As a result, Pakistan is likely to be saddled with an excluded generation of youth — a hefty burden on the country’s battered economy. The reuse of syringes, razors, street salon equipment, and improper screening at blood banks must be tackled with criminal proceedings and penalties for those who fall foul of the law. The social stigma attached to the affliction must be countered with campaigns about its causes and impact in schools and colleges. The province’s dire situation also requires a complete enforcement of the Sindh HIV and AIDS Control Treatment and Protection Act to prevent discrimination in schools and workplaces. None of these steps can be postponed. Health is a right that must figure on political agendas as a priority. Or HIV outbreaks will prove deadly for the country’s economy.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2026