HIV Has Killed More Than 25,000 People in Pakistan Since 1987

More than 25,000 people, including hundreds of children, have officially died from HIV and AIDS-related illnesses in Pakistan since the country’s first case was reported in Lahore in 1987.

According to federal and provincial health data, Punjab has recorded the highest number of deaths, with more than 15,000 fatalities reported over the past four decades.

Sindh has reported 6,373 deaths, including several hundred children. The province also has the highest number of HIV-infected children in the country.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 1,950 deaths, while Islamabad Capital Territory has reported 1,132. Balochistan has registered 656 deaths, followed by Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 13 and Gilgit-Baltistan with one.

The combined number of reported deaths in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Balochistan, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan stands at 10,125.

Health officials believe the actual toll is much higher because many patients remain undiagnosed, while HIV is often omitted from death records due to stigma and weak reporting systems.

Pakistan is estimated to have around 370,000 people living with HIV, but only about 62,000 are receiving antiretroviral treatment. These include nearly 7,500 children.

Sindh has reported a particularly high number of pediatric cases. Hundreds of children have contracted HIV through unsafe injections, reused syringes, unsafe blood transfusions, poor infection control, and unregulated healthcare providers.

Major outbreaks in Ratodero, Larkana, southern Sindh, and Karachi have highlighted the growing risk of preventable transmission.

Experts say HIV is manageable if diagnosed early and treated continuously. However, stigma, delayed testing, treatment interruptions, and poor public awareness continue to cause preventable deaths.

They have urged the government to expand testing, improve surveillance, ensure uninterrupted medicine supplies, regulate informal healthcare providers, enforce safe injection practices, and make blood screening mandatory.

Globally, HIV/AIDS has claimed an estimated 44.2 million lives, while around 570,000 people still die from AIDS-related illnesses each year.