Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing
Mohammed Amin was eight when he died shortly after testing positive for HIV.
His fevers were so severe that he insisted on sleeping in the rain, and he writhed in pain like he'd been thrown in hot oil, says his mother, Sughra.
He used to fight with me, but he also loved me, 10-year-old Asma says as she kneels at her younger brother's graveside.
Not long after her brother contracted the virus, Asma was also diagnosed with HIV. Her family believes both children contracted it from injections with contaminated needles during routine medical treatment at a government hospital in Taunsa, Punjab, Pakistan.
They are two of the 331 children that BBC Eye has identified as testing positive for HIV in the city between November 2024 and October 2025.
After a doctor at a private clinic linked the outbreak to the hospital, local authorities promised a 'massive crackdown' and suspended the hospital's medical superintendent in March 2025 – but a BBC Eye investigation reveals that dangerous injection practices continued months later.
During 32 hours of undercover filming at THQ Taunsa in late 2025, syringes were witnessed being reused on multi-dose vials of medicine on 10 separate occasions, potentially contaminating the drugs inside.
In four of these cases, medicine from the same vial was given to a different child. We do not know if any of the children were HIV-positive, but this practice creates a clear risk of viral transmission.
Even if they have attached a new needle, the back part, which we call the syringe body, has the virus in it, so it will transfer even with a new needle, said Dr. Altaf Ahmed, after watching our footage.
Despite signs on hospital walls showing safe injection practices, we filmed staff – including a doctor – injecting patients without sterile gloves 66 times. One expert stated our footage highlights broader weaknesses in infection control training in Pakistan.
The new medical superintendent, Dr. Qasim Buzdar, refused to acknowledge the footage's authenticity during our inquiry, insisting the hospital was safe.
In response to our findings, the local government emphasized that there was no validated epidemiological evidence conclusively establishing THQ as the source of the outbreak and shifted focus to unregulated private practices and unscreened blood transfusions.
The ongoing health crisis is compounded by societal stigma against those affected by HIV, leading families like Asma's to face isolation and confusion.
Asma, despite her circumstances, expresses aspirations of becoming a doctor in the future, revealing the resilience of affected families amidst this public health tragedy.
