تازہ ترین

  Islamabad: Pakistan is facing a growing HIV crisis, with an estimated 369,000 people living with the virus while only about 84,400 cases are formally registered, according to a government Task Force report. Health experts and concerned citizens have warned that the real situation may be much worse because the country still lacks reliable and complete disease data. The warning came during a National Dialogue on HIV and AIDS organised by Lok Sehat, where doctors, public health experts, medical organisations, civil society groups and representatives of communities affected by HIV discussed the growing problem. Lok Sehat Convener Dr Zafar Mirza said the government must stop trying to control the disease by controlling or hiding data. He demanded that reliable information about HIV and other blood-borne diseases should be made available and that the government should take greater financial responsibility for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria instead of depending heavily on international donors. The issue has become more serious because HIV infections are increasingly being reported among children and people outside the groups traditionally considered at higher risk. The Task Force report estimates that 369,000 people are living with HIV in Pakistan, but only around 84,400 cases are formally registered and about 60,789 people are receiving antiretroviral treatment. The report says the recent appearance of HIV among children in low-risk rural communities points to serious weaknesses in infection control, blood safety, healthcare regulation, and medical management. The situation in Taunsa Tehsil of Dera Ghazi Khan has raised particular concern. The Task Force report says 127 children were confirmed to have HIV during a five-month period between December 2024 and April 2025. Around 79 percent of those children were below five years of age, with the median age only three years. Investigations largely ruled out transmission from mothers because nearly all mothers of the infected children tested negative for HIV. The report identified unsafe blood transfusions and contaminated injection practices as major drivers of the Taunsa outbreak. It also found problems involving blood donor screening, unregulated healthcare providers, reuse of disposable syringes, excessive use of injections, poor sterilisation and weak infection prevention systems. Dr Zafar Mirza said repeated use of syringes and needles was a major suspected route of HIV transmission among people receiving healthcare. He called for proper training of healthcare workers and public awareness so patients and families understand the importance of using new syringes and needles. He also urged doctors to avoid unnecessary injections when oral medicines are medically suitable. The problem is not limited to one area. Former National AIDS Control Programme and IHRA chief Dr Quaid Saeed said 13 HIV outbreaks had been reported in Pakistan during the last 18 years, but only two, including the outbreaks in Jalalpur Jattan and Ratodero, had been extensively investigated. He called for proper investigations into every outbreak. The Task Force report also says the Ratodero outbreak in Sindh in 2019 affected more than 1,000 people, most of them children under 12. Investigations linked the outbreak to contaminated syringes, unsafe injections, unregulated blood transfusions, quackery and serious weaknesses in infection prevention and control. Experts also raised concerns about the treatment of people living with HIV. Dr Zafar Mirza said stigma remains a serious problem, including within parts of the medical profession. He said there had been cases where doctors refused to treat patients after learning that they had HIV. He stressed that HIV does not spread through ordinary contact such as shaking hands or being near an infected person. He called for stronger public awareness through television, newspapers and social media to correct false beliefs and reduce discrimination against patients. In Islamabad, infectious diseases expert Dr. Naseem Akhtar said many of the HIV cases seen at her centre involved people who inject drugs, deportees, transgender persons, men who have sex with men, and female sex workers. She said some cases had also been found among children. Dr Asma Naseem said the situation in Karachi was also worrying, particularly because of a rise in HIV cases among children. She said children with HIV were being brought to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation with kidney failure, describing the trend as highly concerning. The experts said weak regulation of healthcare facilities was another major part of the problem. Dr. Zafar Mirza called for stronger healthcare commissions, blood transfusion authorities, and other regulators, along with better funding, trained staff, and modern technology. The government Task Force has recommended nationwide surveillance of syringes, stronger regulation of medical devices, and a phased move towards auto-disable syringes. It has also proposed tougher action against unsafe medical practices. Another major recommendation is the creation of a national real-time HIV surveillance dashboard. The system would collect information from treatment centres, blood transfusion centres, provincial disease surveillance units and other health facilities so that new cases could be reported quickly at the national level. The Task Force has also proposed stronger testing and care for children, including early infant diagnosis, trained counsellors and paediatric HIV specialists in areas facing outbreaks. It has recommended social protection for children living with HIV, including support for medicines, nutrition, education, transport and psychological care. The proposed reforms also include stronger laws, mandatory reporting of HIV cases and outbreaks, better sharing of health data between provinces and agencies, and accountability for public and private healthcare providers where negligence contributes to disease transmission. The government report says a high-level National HIV Technical Working Group is also proposed, with experts including Maj. Gen. (R) Dr. Azhar Mehmood Kayani, Dr. Zafar Mirza, Dr. Abdul Wali Khan, Dr. Amjad Mahmood, Dr. Adnan Khan, Dr. Huma Qureshi, Dr. Hasan Abbas Zaheer, Brig. Dr. Nuzhat Mushahid, Dr. Saira Afzal, Dr. Fatima Mir, Dr. Saba Jamal, Dr. Rana Jawad Asghar and Dr. Khalid Rehman. Dr Zafar Mirza also raised concern over Pakistan’s dependence on international funding. During the briefing, he said that around 90 percent of spending on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria over the previous five years had come through the Global Fund. He argued that Pakistan should gradually take full

  ISLAMABAD: The US Department of Defense has dismissed three senior officials associated with the military newspaper citing allegations of insubordination in a move that has intensified concerns over editorial independence and Pentagon oversight of the publication. The officials have been given five days to appeal the decisions, according to US media reports. The dismissals of Slavík and Kurt are reportedly connected to their appearance where they discussed the newspaper’s editorial independence and the Pentagon’s proposed changes to its operations. During the interview, both journalists defended the principle that Stars and Stripes should be able to maintain independent editorial judgment while continuing to serve members of the US military and their families. Slavík said in his dismissal notice that he was being removed after publicly stating that censorship of news intended for service members would cross a “red line.” He maintained that Stars and Stripes should retain its editorial independence and said he stood by the position he expressed during the interview. Kurt also confirmed that she had received a dismissal notice. During the interview, she reportedly emphasised that her professional responsibility was to Stars and Stripes rather than to the Pentagon, a particular administration or individual policymakers. She also argued that members of the US military swear an oath to defend the Constitution and therefore should have access to a free and independent press. Lederer’s dismissal appears to have stemmed from a separate dispute with Defense Department officials. According to reports, Lederer declined to follow certain Pentagon instructions concerning action against journalists. His removal also came earlier than expected, as he had reportedly planned to retire on September 30. The developments come amid months of tension between Stars and Stripes and Defense Department officials over the future direction of the publication. Although the newspaper receives funding from the Pentagon, Stars and Stripes has traditionally maintained a degree of editorial independence and has served as a source of news for US military personnel, veterans and their families. Defense officials have been seeking to reshape the publication’s coverage, placing greater emphasis on combat operations, weapons systems, physical fitness, military readiness and troop survival. Some other areas of coverage have reportedly been described by officials as less essential to service members. The dispute became more prominent after Stars and Stripes published reports examining conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as concerns raised by military families regarding the mental health and welfare of troops. A Pentagon spokesperson did not provide extensive details about the dismissals but referred to an open letter from Deputy Publisher Capt. William Urban. Urban has called for the newspaper to modernise its operations, strengthen its digital presence and generate additional revenue. At the same time, he has stressed the importance of maintaining professional editorial standards. The dismissals have renewed discussion within US military journalism about how an independent press serving military personnel should operate while receiving government funding. Supporters of Stars and Stripes argue that troops need independent reporting that can examine military policies and conditions without interference. Pentagon officials, meanwhile, have sought greater alignment between the publication’s priorities and the department’s broader communication and operational objectives. The controversy is therefore likely to continue raising questions about the appropriate limits of Pentagon oversight and the editorial freedom of a publication that has served US military communities for decades.