A quake has been booked over the alleged use of a common syringe to administer injections that has made at least 21 people infected with HIV in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district.
According to chief medical officer Dr SP Chaudhary, the matter came to light after the health department launched an investigation following reports of “high number of HIV cases” in the area.
“Seeing the high number cases, the health department constituted a two-member committee which visited various settlements of Bangarmau to investigate the reasons behind the spike,” he was quoted as saying.
Chaudhary reportedly said the team visited Premganj and Chakmirpur areas of Bangarmau and filed a report, based on which screening camps were held at three places (in Bangarmau) on January 24, January 25 and January 27.
“In the camps, 566 people were examined of whom 21 were found to be infected with HIV,” a news agency quoted the chief medical officer as saying.
He said that the investigation also found that quack Rajendra Kumar, living in a neighbouring village, had used a single syringe for injection in the name of cheaper treatment. “This was the reason behind the significant rise in the number HIV cases.”
A case against the quack has been registered in Bangarmau police station, the chief medical officer said. He said the patients have been referred to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centre in Kanpur.
ART consists of a combination of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV and stop its progression. ART also helps prevent onward transmission of HIV, he said.
Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Siddharth Nath Singh, meanwhile, said, “We are investigating the matter and a thorough mapping is being done. Anyone who sells injections without a proper license will be investigated.”
