Treatment centre to be set up at Valika Hospital after surge in HIV cases

KARACHI: A surge in HIV cases among children in Pathan Colony has pushed Sindh’s health authorities to seek the immediate establishment of an ART (antiretroviral therapy) centre at the Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital after 18 children were confirmed HIV-positive and two of them died, officials said on Tuesday.

Infectious diseases experts and critics said the Directorate of CDC for HIV/AIDS has once again reacted only after an outbreak instead of preventing it, exposing serious gaps in surveillance and control. A formal letter issued by the Directorate of CDC Sindh has asked the Valika Hospital administration to allocate space and staff for an ART centre, including a medical officer, a laboratory technician, a data entry operator and a counsellor. The move is being viewed as a late step that came only after infections and deaths were reported. Officials said that 35 children were screened for HIV at the Valika Hospital on Tuesday, and all of them tested negative, providing temporary relief to the parents of the children currently admitted. Residents, however, said the threat remains in the community, and screening inside the hospital alone would not prevent further spread.

Health teams said that 18 children, most under eight, tested positive for HIV in recent days after being brought in with persistent fever, repeated infections and unexplained weight loss. Two of these children have passed away. The parents of all the infected minors tested negative, raising serious suspicion of non-sexual transmission through unsafe injections, drips and other medical practices within the neighbourhood.

Doctors and public health experts criticised the Directorate of CDC, saying that it has failed to perform preventive duties, and only appears after outbreaks have harmed communities. They said that similar patterns were seen in Ratodero, Larkana and Shikarpur, where children contracted HIV, and action began only after the situation had escalated. “This is a failure of prevention,” a senior official commented. “There is no regular monitoring, no strong action against quacks and unsafe clinics, and no early detection. Children are paying the price.” With no ART services available at the Valika Hospital, the infected children were referred to Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and other centres. Parents said treatment should be available within the area to avoid delays, especially for young children. A Sindh AIDS Control Programme team visited the Valika Hospital and met the parents to assure them that a screening campaign would begin in Pathan Colony. Community elders said that screening must begin without delay, and demanded that it be carried out on the pattern of Ratodero to ensure that no child is left untested. “Delaying screening will be negligence,” a local resident said. The Labour Action Committee, led by Malik Nek Zada Swati, held a meeting to criticise the hospital administration and provincial health authorities for negligence. The meeting called for action against those responsible, especially if unsafe practices by hospital staff or nearby clinics are confirmed. Sindh continues to report the highest number of HIV cases among children in the country. Nearly 4,000 children in the province are living with HIV, while more than 2,300 new infections have been reported in the first nine months of this year alone. Experts warn that unless unsafe medical practices are stopped and quack clinics shut down, Karachi can face a repeat of the large paediatric outbreak witnessed in Larkana.