Reuse of syringes root cause of Valika Hospital HIV cases: report

KARACHI: The repeated use of syringes caused the reported outbreak of the HIV among children who received treatment at the Sindh government-run Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security SITE Hospital in Karachi according to an inquiry report.

“A 10-CC syringe was used on different newborn children in the hospital,” the ARY News received the inquiry report on the outbreak of Aids cases in Karachi’s Valika hospital’.

The WHO had reported the spread of HIV in Valika Hospital last year in November, the report disclosed.

According to health authorities, 104 HIV cases have been so far reported including 95 children.

A team of the federal government visited Valika Hospital and surrounding neighborhoods and held meetings with the hospital management and the parents of the infected children.

The team recommended an independent inquiry of the HIV outbreak.

The Sindh High Court’s constitutional bench on Thursday directed the Sindh government to submit a detailed report within two weeks on the HIV outbreak among children who received treatment at the Kulsum Bai Valika Hospital.

The order came during the hearing of a petition seeking action over the spread of HIV among children due to the reuse of contaminated syringes at the hospital.

A large number of HIV-positive children and their parents were present in the courtroom during the proceedings.

In February, Federal Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal publicly stated that the outbreak was caused by the reuse of contaminated syringes at Valika Hospital.

Addressing the National Assembly on June 10, the minister also announced that the government had banned five types of syringes following a rise in HIV/AIDS cases across the country. He said reports of increasing HIV infections had also emerged from Islamabad and Taunsa in Punjab.