Monitoring Desk:
In a shocking and deeply concerning public health crisis, 331 children have tested positive for HIV in Taunsa, Punjab, between November 2024 and October 2025, according to a detailed investigation by BBC Eye.
Eight-year-old Mohammed Amin was one of the victims. His fevers were so severe that he begged to sleep in the pouring rain for relief. “It felt like he had been thrown into boiling oil,” his mother Sughra recalled with heartbreak. He passed away shortly after his diagnosis.
At his graveside, his 10-year-old sister Asma knelt quietly and said, “He used to fight with me, but he also loved me.” Soon after her brother fell ill, Asma too was diagnosed with HIV. The family believes both children contracted the virus through contaminated needles during routine treatment at the government-run THQ Taunsa hospital in Punjab.
The outbreak first came to light after a doctor at a private clinic linked the sudden spike in cases to the hospital in late 2024. Local authorities promised a major crackdown and suspended the hospital’s medical superintendent in March 2025. However, the BBC Eye investigation revealed that unsafe injection practices continued for months afterward.
During 32 hours of undercover filming at THQ Taunsa in late 2025, BBC reporters witnessed syringes being reused on multi-dose medicine vials on 10 separate occasions. In four of those cases, medicine from the same vial was given to a different child. Experts warn this practice carries a clear risk of transmitting viruses like HIV.
Dr Altaf Ahmed, a leading consultant microbiologist and infectious disease expert in Pakistan, reviewed the footage and stated that even attaching a new needle does not eliminate the danger, as the syringe body itself can carry the virus.
The investigation also documented staff, including doctors, administering injections 66 times without sterile gloves, despite safety posters displayed on the hospital walls. In one scene, a nurse was seen searching through a medical waste box with bare hands, violating basic infection control standards.
When shown the footage, the hospital’s new medical superintendent, Dr Qasim Buzdar, refused to acknowledge its authenticity. He suggested it might have been recorded earlier or could be staged, while insisting the hospital was safe for children.
This heartbreaking outbreak, uncovered by BBC Eye, serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of safe injection practices and proper infection control in public hospitals across Pakistan. Families affected are demanding stronger accountability and immediate improvements to prevent further tragedies.
Source: BBC Eye Investigation
Quetta Voice | Reporting from Balochistan to the World
