HIV outbreak at Valika Hospital is only the beginning, warn experts

HIV cases among children in Pathan Colony and other neighbourhoods of SITE Town are continuing to rise as more worried parents are bringing their children to the Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital for screening, with hospital officials saying that at least 30 children have tested positive for HIV.

Despite repeated requests from the media, officials of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme, now working as the CDC for HIV/AIDS, refused to share the actual number of cases from the fresh outbreak.

They avoided giving the district-wise HIV situation as well. Insiders said they fear backlash from the public and their senior leadership if the data is made public. Senior officials in the Directorate General Health Services Sindh, including the Director Health Services Karachi, were also accused of following a pattern of hiding data to downplay the magnitude of the crisis.

Officials confirmed that the actual number of children and adults infected in SITE Town and nearby areas is likely to be much higher than what has been reported. Paediatricians and infectious diseases experts have warned that the situation is alarming, and said that the outbreak at the Valika Hospital is only the beginning.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, and if screening is launched on the pattern of Ratodero, hundreds of new cases can surface in Karachi,” one expert told The News, urging the government to start immediate screening in the Keamari, West and Malir districts.

Experts said that hundreds of children might be living with undetected HIV due to widespread unsafe medical practices, especially by unqualified practitioners and informal healthcare providers. They said that no structured campaign has been launched to detect cases among children, despite clear evidence of an outbreak.

On the other hand, Sindh Health Care Commission (SHCC) has initiated action after HIV cases were reported at the Valika Hospital in Keamari. SHCC Anti-Quackery Director Dr Zubair Soomro and his team met District Keamari Deputy Commissioner Tariq Chandio to discuss regulatory enforcement, healthcare standards and disease prevention across the district.

The meeting raised concern over the illegal de-sealing of the clinics that are run by unqualified practitioners, and called for strict action to maintain state authority. It was agreed that the SHCC, the DC Office, the Keamari SSP and the district health officer would jointly inspect hospitals in the district. A district-wide crackdown against quacks will be launched with the support of law enforcement agencies, and FIRs will be registered against violators.

The DC said that the spread of HIV is a serious threat, and according to the instructions of the health minister, administrative and police support would be provided to the SHCC during the action. Assistant commissioners would also accompany anti-quackery teams during the operations.

An SHCC inspection team also visited the Valika Hospital to review infection prevention and control measures, patient safety protocols, waste management and adherence to safe injection practices.

Health professionals said that urgent steps to screen children, shut down unsafe clinics and start awareness campaigns are needed to prevent the situation from turning into a large-scale crisis similar to that of Ratodero.