Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Reports 40,000 People Living With HIV as Daily Diagnoses Rise
A wide registration gap points to missed testing driven by stigma.
Overview
- Provincial officials say 15–20 new HIV cases are being identified each day in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
- Only about 9,800 patients are officially registered, which officials warn reflects avoidance of testing and a resulting silent spread.
- Authorities blame unsafe medical practices, including quack clinics, syringe reuse and unsterilised salon tools, and they urge enforcement by the Health Regulatory Authority.
- Targeted outreach in Peshawar found 197 transgender people living with HIV, and all have been started on treatment.
- The K-P government provides free lifelong medicines to registered patients, and UN estimates place Pakistan’s total HIV burden at roughly 330,000 people.