Islamabad has seen a worrying rise in HIV/AIDS cases, with more than 600 new infections reported over the past 15 months, underscoring growing concern about Pakistan’s widening HIV outbreak. Recent reporting on official federal data said around 300 new cases were recorded in the federal areas in the last six months of 2025, after roughly 300 more cases had already been added in the preceding months, pushing the 15-month total above 600. More than 80% of those new federal-area cases were linked to Islamabad, making the capital the main driver of the regional increase.
The surge fits into a broader national pattern. World Health Organization and UNAIDS warned in December 2025 that Pakistan is facing one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, with new infections nationwide rising 200% over 15 years, from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024. They also said a large share of infections remains undiagnosed, which raises the risk of continued silent spread.
In Islamabad and the wider federal territories, the cumulative caseload had climbed to about 4,756 to nearly 4,800 registered cases by the end of 2025, according to reports citing official registration data. Health officials said the monthly average had reached roughly 50 new cases, another sign that the outbreak is no longer confined to isolated clusters.
Experts say the rise is being driven by a mix of factors, including low awareness, delayed testing, untreated patients, stigma, and weak infection-control practices. Recent outbreak reporting from Punjab also renewed concern about unsafe medical practices such as reuse of syringes, showing how healthcare lapses can accelerate transmission alongside sexual and blood-borne routes.
The latest numbers have increased pressure on health authorities to expand testing, early diagnosis, treatment access, and prevention campaigns, especially in urban centers like Islamabad where the case burden is rising quickly. The warning from public-health agencies is that without faster intervention, the capital’s upward trend could become part of a still larger national emergency.
