The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS have issued a serious warning to Pakistan, urging immediate national action as HIV infections continue to rise at an alarming pace.

According to WHO’s regional office for the Middle East and North Africa, new HIV cases in Pakistan have tripled over the past 14 years, increasing from 16000 in 2010 to 48000 in 2024. The report further reveals that an estimated 350000 Pakistanis are currently living with HIV, and nearly 80 percent of them do not even know they are infected.

Health experts say the virus, once largely confined to high-risk groups, is now spreading within the general population, including children, women, and entire families. They point to several major factors behind the surge, such as unsafe blood transfusions, shared needles, inadequate healthcare regulation, and lack of public awareness.

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Both WHO and UNAIDS stressed the need for urgent national action and called upon the government and healthcare institutions to:

* Expand HIV testing and screening nationwide

* Ensure uninterrupted access to treatment and antiretroviral medicines

* Strengthen awareness programs to educate the public

* Improve infection control and blood safety practices

The organizations warned that without immediate intervention, Pakistan risks an even faster spread of HIV, posing a major public health challenge for the coming years.