Pakistan faces AIDS crisis among toddlers, WHO warns fastest rise

While many parts of the globe have seen a decline in new HIV infections and AIDS‑related deaths, Pakistan is witnessing a stark opposite trend. Over 90 percent of HIV‑positive children have mothers who tested negative for the virus, highlighting severe gaps in safe medical delivery. Between November 2024 and October 2025, a single hospital in the Tonsa area of Punjab recorded 331 child infections, a figure tied directly to the reuse of injection equipment. Health experts argue that chronic under‑funding—often less than one percent of GDP—and neglect of infection‑control protocols have turned the situation into a public‑health emergency.