Police in Larkana on Tuesday arrested a doctor accused of spreading human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Rotadero district.
Dr Muzaffar Ghanghar, who works at a public hospital in Larkana is HIV patient himself. He is accused of having infected others in the district.
The authorities probed the matter after HIV-positive cases increased at an alarming rate in the district. 39 cases of HIV were detected in the district, of which 22 were children, including those as young as 16-months-old.
Ghanghar, however, maintains that he was not aware of his condition and was not involved in the spread of the disease. “If I was aware of my condition, I would have sought treatment. The Sindh Healthcare Commission is conspiring against me.”
Dr Sikander Memon, in-charge of the Aids Control Programme in Sindh, said a team will arrive in Ratodero next week to determine the causes behind the transmission of the HIV among the residents.
As of August 2018, Sindh has 60,000+ HIV cases with Larkana being the most affected district.
In December 2018, the World Health Organization revealed that AIDS was increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan, registering approximately 20,000 new HIV infections annually, the highest rate of increase in the region.
Punjab has 75,000 cases of HIV – the highest in the country. The most common reasons for the high outbreak include: unsafe medical practices, quackery, use of one syringe on multiple patients, and unsterilized tools, unsafe blood transfusions, contaminated razor blades used by street barbers, unsafe sexual practices, and taboos around sexual health.
Dr Muzaffar Ghanghar, who works at a public hospital in Larkana is HIV patient himself. He is accused of having infected others in the district.
The authorities probed the matter after HIV-positive cases increased at an alarming rate in the district. 39 cases of HIV were detected in the district, of which 22 were children, including those as young as 16-months-old.
Ghanghar, however, maintains that he was not aware of his condition and was not involved in the spread of the disease. “If I was aware of my condition, I would have sought treatment. The Sindh Healthcare Commission is conspiring against me.”
Dr Sikander Memon, in-charge of the Aids Control Programme in Sindh, said a team will arrive in Ratodero next week to determine the causes behind the transmission of the HIV among the residents.
As of August 2018, Sindh has 60,000+ HIV cases with Larkana being the most affected district.
In December 2018, the World Health Organization revealed that AIDS was increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan, registering approximately 20,000 new HIV infections annually, the highest rate of increase in the region.
Punjab has 75,000 cases of HIV – the highest in the country. The most common reasons for the high outbreak include: unsafe medical practices, quackery, use of one syringe on multiple patients, and unsterilized tools, unsafe blood transfusions, contaminated razor blades used by street barbers, unsafe sexual practices, and taboos around sexual health.