Karachi: Over 300 children died of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection within four years of period in different parts of Sindh, the latest reports suggested on Thursday.
Larkana and its surrounding areas reported the most of the cases during the said period and around 324 children died of HIV in Ratodero Town of Sindh in April 2019.
According to the officials, as of February 15, 2023, approximately 324 children including 207 boys and 117 girls died due to HIV complications and opportunistic infections. These children had tested positive for HIV in the past four years and many were receiving HIV treatment.
Ratodero Taluka of Larkana, Garhi Khero, Garhi Yasin, and Sujawal Junejo Talukas were among the affected areas. The official data revealed that out of the 324 HIV-positive children who died since April 2019, around 164 died between January 2022 and February 15, 2023, with only 160 deaths reported before January 2022.
The sources while citing the official data revealed out of 2,865 children in Sindh who tested positive for HIV, 1672 were the boys while 1193 were the girls. The shocking aspect of this issue is that mostly the children who fell prey of this infection were below the age of 15.
The reports suggested that the situation was quite alarming as the infection was spreading as more people tested positive for HIV.
The first two months of the ongoing year reported that 64 people, including 17 children tested positive for HIV.
The officials seeking anonymity said that reuse of syringes, infected blood and poor infection were the reasons behind spreading infection.
The authorities, however, said they were putting efforts to control the situation and were hopeful to prevent the virus from spreading further to other parts of the province.
