Pakistan Faces Alarming Rise in HIV/AIDS Cases, Experts Express Concern

Pakistan is grappling with a significant rise in HIV/AIDS cases. According to available data, 108,400 cases have been reported nationwide.

Punjab leads with over 45,000 individuals living with the virus. Lahore tops the list with more than 10,000 cases, followed by Faisalabad with around 5,000 and Multan with over 3,000. Sargodha and Gujrat each have over 2,800 cases, while Nankana Sahib has reported more than 2,000.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa records 39,702 cases, including 1,276 this year alone. Peshawar accounts for 1,877 cases, while Bannu reports 988. Cases have also been detected in Mardan, Charsadda, Swabi and Nowshera.

Sindh ranks third with 15,639 HIV-positive individuals. Karachi continues to report a significant number of cases as the country’s largest urban centre.

Balochistan records 3,303 cases including 707 women and 90 transgender individuals. Quetta has the highest number with 2,614 cases.

The federal capital Islamabad reports 4,756 cases, including 3,432 men, 805 women, 422 transgender persons, 67 boys and 30 girls.

Experts warn that the actual number of infections could exceed 350,000 due to many individuals remaining unaware of their condition. They attribute the rise in cases primarily to reuse of contaminated syringes, unsafe blood transfusion practices, lack of basic healthcare facilities, and use of unsterilised instruments for procedures such as ear and nose piercing. Urgent awareness campaigns, improved screening and stricter health regulations are called for.