Dozens of 'quack' surgeries have been closed and a doctor arrested after scores of people including at least 75 children have been found to be infected with HIV in a Pakistani town.
Panic has spread through Ratodero in Sindh province after screening has revealed large numbers carrying the virus. Health officials believe the re-use of dirty syringes is spreading the virus.
Medical teams deployed after the first reports of cases say they have since tested more than 2,400 people in the past week and found at least 98 positive. That number is likely to rise as testing continues, Dr Sikandar Ali, provincial programme manager for HIV/AIDS control told the Telegraph.
A doctor at a public hospital in the area was earlier this week arrested and accused of passing the virus, which attacks the immune system and leads to AIDS, to patients.
But the doctor, who is himself claimed to be HIV positive, denied the charge. He was also defended by the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (MMIDSP).
“A committee has been set up to thoroughly investigate and look into the matter,” Dr Ali said. “Until now, there is the possibility that it is because of the re-use of syringes.”
