The number of confirmed HIV infections linked to the transmission incident at Karachi’s Kulsum Bai Valika (KBV) Hospital has risen to 80, after two more girls tested positive for the virus, according to hospital records seen by The Express Tribune.
Last week, Sindh Labour Minister and Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) Chairman Saeed Ghani confirmed that 78 children had contracted HIV. The latest cases have pushed the total to at least 80.
One affected father told The Express Tribune that all three of his children had now tested positive for HIV. His three-year-old and 12-year-old sons were diagnosed several months ago, while his nine-year-old daughter was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Friday.
According to the father, his daughter had been admitted to KBV Hospital in late 2025 for treatment of a chest infection before later testing positive for HIV.
Health authorities are continuing to investigate the source of the outbreak as concerns grow over one of Pakistan’s largest reported hospital-linked HIV transmission incidents.