NPR

Whatever Happened To ... The 494 Children Who Got HIV In 1 Pakistani City?

That was in the spring. This summer, panic and hysteria are still palpable among worried parents. An investigation is underway.
A paramedic takes a blood sample from a baby for an HIV test in Larkana, Pakistan, on May 9. The government has been offering screenings in response to an HIV outbreak.

In April, a medical mystery made headlines in Larkana, Pakistan. Some children with persistent fevers were tested for HIV. There were 14 positive results. Additional testing identified 494 children in the area who were HIV-positive. But according to the authorities, their parents were not HIV-positive. An investigation has been launched. What do we now know?

In the months since the news about the HIV cases in Larkana first became public, numbers have increased

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
The Jawbone Of Washed-up Whale In New Zealand Was Removed With Chainsaw And Stolen
The jawbone of a nearly 50-foot sperm whale that washed ashore in New Zealand's southernmost region has been removed. While the act is illegal, it's also considered disrespectful to the Māori people.
NPR3 min read
Sean Combs Apologizes For 'My Actions In That Video' That Appeared To Show An Assault
Without addressing his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who is seen in the video being kicked and dragged in 2016, the hip-hop mogul says, "I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now."
NPR2 min read
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, A Hard-liner Who Crushed Dissent, Dies At 63
Iran's ultraconservative president, killed in a helicopter crash, oversaw a crackdown on women's protests and was linked to extrajudicial killings in the 1980s.

Related Books & Audiobooks