Karachi: A nine-year-old boy from Karachi's Golimar area has tested positive for HIV, with his parents alleging that the infection resulted from negligence during treatment at a local hospital.

According to the parents, the child's HIV infection was confirmed after testing positive through three different diagnostic kits.

They said the child underwent treatment at Valika Hospital last year, where he remained admitted for 20 days.

The parents claimed they were informed by other families that several children admitted in nearby hospital beds had also tested positive for HIV. They added that the child's health began deteriorating after his discharge from the hospital.

Subsequent medical tests confirmed that the boy had contracted HIV, they said.

The parents alleged that negligence by doctors at Valika Hospital was responsible for their son's infection.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that 108 children in Karachi's Pathan Colony have so far been diagnosed with HIV, while the death toll among infected children has reached nine.