Vehari on alert after surge in child HIV cases

Authorities cite quackery, unsafe medical procedures as key causes

VEHARI:

A growing number of HIV cases among newborns and young children has triggered alarm in Vehari district, with several children reportedly dying from complications linked to the virus while dozens of others remain under treatment at government and private hospitals.

The reported rise in infections has created widespread concern among residents, who have urged Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, the secretary of Primary and Secondary Healthcare, and the Multan commissioner to order a comprehensive investigation into the spread of HIV and hold those responsible accountable.

According to affected families and local residents, most of the reported patients are newborns and children up to eight years of age, while several mothers have also been diagnosed with HIV.

They said the increasing number of infections has created fear across the district.

Residents claimed that many affected children, particularly from Mailsi and surrounding areas, were initially treated by unqualified medical practitioners before being referred to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Vehari or private healthcare facilities.

Some residents also alleged that laboratory reports of HIV-positive children admitted to DHQ Hospital were altered or removed from medical records.

They claimed that in certain cases, HIV test results were allegedly replaced with "three-star" markings before the reports later disappeared from patients' files.

These allegations could not be independently verified.

Local residents identified several children who they claimed had either died or tested positive for HIV, including three-year-old Ali Haider, who was referred from THQ Hospital Mailsi after reportedly testing HIV-reactive, 20-month-old Salar Khan, who died at DHQ Hospital, Abu Ubaidah, who reportedly tested HIV-positive, two-year-old Aiza, whose test report is alleged to have gone missing, eight-year-old Kanza Ashiq, who was referred after reportedly testing HIV-positive, Muhammad Hadi, who was admitted after testing HIV-reactive, two-year-old Shehryar, who reportedly died after testing HIV-reactive, Fatimi Ejaz of village 39-WB, who also reportedly died, and two-year-old Seerat, who was admitted after testing HIV-reactive.

Residents further cited the case of two-year-old Muhammad Ali, who was brought to DHQ Hospital with persistent fever despite receiving antibiotics. According to his parents, the child had already tested HIV-positive.

The reports have also fuelled rumours among some residents that the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine administered shortly after birth could be linked to the infections.

Some questioned why one twin could test HIV-positive while the other remained negative despite both parents reportedly testing negative for the virus.