Criminal intent?

New cases of HIV infection continue to surface in Ratodero in district Larkana. More than 60 of those infected are children. Oddly enough, the parents of these children have in most cases proved to be HIV negative; one of the routes of transmission for HIV is from a mother to her unborn child. UNAIDS has begun looking into the matter and suggested that a full epidemiological study be carried out in the area to understand why the outbreak is taking place. The UN body has suggested that the reuse of syringes, other medical equipment and unsafe medical practices may be responsible for the high incidence. But here are other more alarming suggestions. A doctor employed at a Ratodero hospital has been arrested on suspicion by police that he had deliberately infected patients, notably children, by using a syringe tainted with the virus. The doctor himself is HIV positive but has denied any wrongdoing and said he was unaware of his condition and had not sought medical help for this reason.The Sindh health minister, supervising an inquiry in the area being carried out by the Sindh health department, has pointed out that the children detected are not AIDS patients. For now they simply carry the HIV virus, a condition which makes them susceptible to acquiring full-blown AIDS later in life. The health department team believes that operations by quack doctors and other unqualified practitioners has contributed to the sudden increase in the number of HIV positive cases. The inquiry is still on and only after it is completed can it be ascertained if there is any criminal intent involved in the spread of HIV.What we do know is that across Pakistan HIV infection is on the increase. The WHO reports that some 20,000 new cases occur annually. The country’s total burden of HIV/AIDS is estimated to stand at between 100,000 and 240,000 people. The WHO estimates that of these numbers only around nine percent are receiving medical care or drugs that can effectively control the symptoms of AIDS. Lack of awareness, the fact that many infected people may not be aware of their condition and a social stigma still attached to AIDS all contribute to the low rate of treatment. Pakistan then ranks as a country which needs to do more to tackle its HIV/AIDS problem. International agencies say more cases are emerging annually in South Asia compared to any other region of the world. The unusual discovery in Ratadero of the cluster of HIV positive patients, most of them children, raises both concerns and questions. We need to find answers as part of the effort to bring HIV infection under control, determine factors responsible for it and also take action if any deliberate wrongdoing is involved.

from The News International - Editorial http://bit.ly/2DYPtQH