At least 331 children in Pakistan’s Punjab province have tested positive for HIV after receiving injections at a single hospital in Taunsa, with evidence pointing to the repeated employ of syringes and shared medicine vials as the primary cause of transmission.
The outbreak, identified between November 2024 and October 2025, emerged after a private physician noticed multiple HIV-positive children had all been treated at THQ Taunsa Hospital. Investigations by BBC Eye, conducted over 32 hours of covert filming, revealed that syringes were reused up to ten times, with the same plunger and barrel used to draw medication from multi-dose vials and administered to different children without changing the full set of equipment. In more than half of the confirmed cases, contaminated syringes were deemed the likely source of infection.
Despite visible safety posters on hospital walls, medical staff were observed administering injections without gloves in 66 instances, sometimes reaching into medical waste bins with bare hands to retrieve supplies. The BBC footage also showed open containers, discarded needles, and syringes stored together in unhygienic conditions, increasing the risk of cross-contamination even when new needles were attached.
Experts, including Dr. Ahmad cited in Sin Chew Daily, emphasized that HIV transmission remains possible through syringe reuse regardless of needle changes, as residual blood or fluid in the barrel can carry the virus. This contradicts the hospital administration’s claim that standard procedures were being followed, a stance reiterated by the acting hospital director who dismissed the BBC recordings as potentially fabricated or outdated.
The tragedy claimed the life of eight-year-old Mohammed Amin, who died shortly after diagnosis. His mother described his final days as marked by relentless fever and anguish, saying he insisted on sleeping in the rain as if his body were burning. His sister later tested positive for HIV, reinforcing the family’s belief that both children were infected during routine medical care at the hospital.
Earlier warnings had gone unheeded. A joint UNICEF, WHO, and Pakistani health ministry inspection in April 2024 had already flagged critical injection safety gaps in the country, including shortages of essential medicines in pediatric emergency wards, the reuse of intravenous fluids, and widespread lapses in hand hygiene. A leaked April 2025 report specifically cited THQ Taunsa Hospital for poor sanitation, drug shortages, and the continued reuse of IV equipment.
Although hospital authorities pledged reform and suspended the former director in March 2025, BBC’s undercover footage showed unsafe practices persisting months later, indicating that corrective actions were either not implemented or not enforced. The initial whistleblower, private practitioner Dr. Kesrani, first raised alarms after observing a cluster of HIV cases among children with no maternal transmission — most mothers tested negative, ruling out perinatal infection.
Health officials have not released updated figures on the current status of the infected children or whether antiretroviral treatment has been universally provided. The hospital maintains that it has corrected its procedures, though independent verification remains lacking.
How did the hospital explain the BBC footage showing unsafe injection practices?
The hospital administration denied the authenticity of the BBC recordings, suggesting they might have been filmed before the current leadership took office or could have been doctored, while maintaining that patients were safe and standard protocols were followed.
Why do experts say changing the needle is not enough to prevent HIV transmission in this case?
Experts warn that the syringe barrel and plunger can retain infectious blood or fluid after use, so reusing the same equipment — even with a new needle — still risks transmitting HIV between patients.
What earlier warnings had been issued about injection safety in Pakistan before this outbreak?
A joint UNICEF, WHO, and Pakistani government inspection in April 2024 had identified serious injection safety risks nationwide, including medicine shortages in pediatric wards, reuse of IV fluids, and poor hand hygiene among healthcare workers.
How did the families of the infected children first suspect the hospital as the source of infection?
A private doctor noticed that multiple HIV-positive children had all received treatment at THQ Taunsa Hospital, prompting him to alert authorities and trace the outbreak to the facility.