The case began in early May 2019 in Pakistan, near the city of Ratodero (in the south of the country): 18 children tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The Pakistani health authorities then decided to expand the screenings… and the results, which fell on Friday, May 17, 2019, are overwhelming: 500 people (including 437 children, of whom 60% are under the age of 5) have been infected with the AIDS virus in the province.
A “children’s specialist”, Muzaffar Ghangharo, was arrested: himself HIV-positive, he is accused by a dozen families of victims of having treated the children with a used syringe. His trial (which will take place on May 21, 2019) will determine whether the contamination was voluntary or not.
20,000 new cases of HIV in 2017 in Pakistan
“Many doctors here are charlatans and are not aware of basic hygiene rules: they reuse medical equipment several times and favor injections to the detriment of oral treatments, even in the event of minor health concerns. This obviously promotes the spread of disease “explains Imran Akbar, doctor in Lakarna, to our colleagues from the Guardian.
“According to some government data, about 600,000 charlatans are active in the country and about 270,000 practice in the province concerned,” the UNAIDS agency said in a statement.
In 2017, 20,000 new cases of HIV were recorded in Pakistan: the rate of spread of the disease in this country of 197 million inhabitants is the 2nd fastest in Asia, according to UN statistics.
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