On 1 June 2019, 251 people were screened for HIV, of which 9 people were found to be HIV positive.
In total, 26,041 people have been screened for HIV since the beginning of the outbreak and 751 people have tested positive for HIV.
Of the 751 positive cases, only 324 (43%) are receiving Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) due to insufficient stocks in-country. Current stocks are enough to meet the needs of 240 children until 15 July 2019, of which 231 are already receiving treatment. This means that only 9 more children can be enrolled for treatment using available stocks, leaving many other children who have tested positive without treatment.
WHO guidelines on HIV treatment recommend a test-and-treat strategy. In this current outbreak, people with HIV stage III and IV are the targets for treatment. However, in some screening camps, WHO-recommended standards for testing are not being implemented due to unavailability of the recommended test kits.
Possible drivers of the outbreak seem to indicate unsafe practices of blood transfusion and re-use of injection needles and syringes, although this is being further investigated.
Donor update: Pakistan: HIV outbreak in Sindh province
