Basit A, Saifullah M, Baig U, Ameer A, Basil AM. Unprecedented rise in human immunodeficiency virus cases in Pakistan: A public health emergency. World J Clin Infect Dis 2025; 14(2): 109220 [DOI: 10.5495/wjcid.v14.i2.109220]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Abdul Mabood Basil, MD, Department of Medicine, Spinghar Medical University, Fourth Alley, Char Rahe Qambar Kabul, Kabul 1001, Afghanistan. abdulmaboodbasil@outlook.com
Research Domain of This Article
Infectious Diseases
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Infect Dis. Aug 20, 2025; 14(2): 109220 Published online Aug 20, 2025. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v14.i2.109220
Unprecedented rise in human immunodeficiency virus cases in Pakistan: A public health emergency
Abdul Basit, Muneeb Saifullah, Uzma Baig, Aamir Ameer, Abdul Mabood Basil
Abdul Basit, Muneeb Saifullah, Department of Medicine, King Edward Medical University, Lahore 54000, Punjab, Pakistan
Uzma Baig, Department of Medicine, Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi 75510, Sindh, Pakistan
Aamir Ameer, Department of Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi 75510, Sindh, Pakistan
Abdul Mabood Basil, Department of Medicine, Spinghar Medical University, Kabul 1001, Afghanistan
Author contributions: Basit A and Saifullah M gave study conception; Baig U, Ameer A, and Basil AM wrote the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Abdul Mabood Basil, MD, Department of Medicine, Spinghar Medical University, Fourth Alley, Char Rahe Qambar Kabul, Kabul 1001, Afghanistan. abdulmaboodbasil@outlook.com
Received: May 6, 2025 Revised: May 20, 2025 Accepted: August 4, 2025 Published online: August 20, 2025 Processing time: 109 Days and 12.1 Hours
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus continues to pose a severe global and national public health threat. In Pakistan, human immunodeficiency virus incidence has risen alarmingly, with over 9700 new cases reported in the first nine months of 2024 alone. Transmission is fueled by unsafe sex, needle-sharing, and systemic healthcare lapses, including unscreened transfusions and reused instruments. Sociocultural stigma, limited awareness, and poor treatment adherence especially in rural and underserved areas compound the crisis. Men, transgender individuals, and children represent increasingly affected groups. The role of international bodies such as World Health Organization, United Nations Development Programme, and United Nations Women has been critical in expanding community-based care and education programs. Effective biomedical tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis and post-exposure prophylaxis offer preventive promise but remain underutilized. Pakistan urgently needs an integrated, multispectral response i.e., enhancing surveillance, ensuring antiretroviral therapy access, improving healthcare worker training, and promoting harm reduction and eliminating certain stigmas to control the epidemic and prevent further escalation.
Core Tip: Pakistan is witnessing a sharp rise in human immunodeficiency virus cases, with over 9700 new infections in the first nine months of 2024. Punjab and Sindh are the most affected regions, and males constitute the majority of new cases. This surge underscores the urgent need for strengthened surveillance, awareness, and treatment access.
