Experts warn of rising HIV, mpox cases

Medical experts have expressed serious concern over the rising threat of infectious diseases in Pakistan, highlighting a sharp increase in HIV and mpox cases during a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club under the Medical Biology and Infectious Disease Society Pakistan.

Infectious disease expert Dr Samreen said Pakistan is witnessing a significant rise in HIV and mpox cas-es. She noted that 16,000 new HIV cases were reported in 2010, which increased to 48,000 by 2020 - an almost 200 per cent rise. She claimed that, according to the World Health Organization, a large propor-tion of globally reported cases are emerging from Pakistan. She further stated that 99 per cent of chil-dren contracted HIV through contaminated injections, after which safety measures such as auto-disable syringes were introduced.

Dr Fatima Mir said the growing burden of infectious diseases in the country is a dangerous trend that requires urgent attention from health professionals.

She stressed the need to make infection preven-tion committees mandatory in all hospitals. She added that in Karachi, contaminated water and pollut-ed air are contributing to rising cases of measles, chickenpox, and respiratory infections among chil-dren. She also pointed to past HIV cases among children with thalassemia and warned that unsafe practices, including multiple patients being injected with the same syringe, still persist.

Dr Naseem Salahuddin said the spread of HIV, mpox, typhoid, and other diseases in Pakistan is largely driven by poor infection control. She highlighted the rise of quackery in rural and peri-urban areas due to the lack of quality healthcare facilities, where reused syringes are still being used despite official bans. She further said research shows Pakistan is among the countries with the highest rates of injec-tions administered, a major contributor to the spread of infectious diseases.