HIV incident: Ex-IMA chief says it is a criminal act, Centre

The Centre has sent a team to Uttar Pradesh's Unnao to inquire into at least 46 people getting infected with HIV in the last 10 months after a quack allegedly used a common syringe to administer injection, which the medical fraternity termed a "criminal" act.
Former IMA president Dr K K Aggarwal said there are set protocols and guidelines for administering injections and other surgical procedures which need to be followed.
"Here, these were openly flouted which is purely a criminal act. A quack is not supposed to administer injections and stern action should be taken against the individual," he said.

According to the Union health ministry, the three member team, comprising officials from National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and headed by Asha Hedge, has left for Unnao to find out the facts and will give a report within two to three days.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Unnao Dr S P Chaudhary said a case has been registered against the quack.
During a routine screening from April to July last year, 12 HIV positive cases were reported from Bangarmau tehsil in Unnao. During another screening in November, another 13 cases were reported from the same place, the CMO said.

"After noticing the high number of cases, the health department constituted a two-member committee which visited various hamlets of Bangarmau to investigate the reasons behind the spurt," he said.

The team visited two areas of Bangarmau and filed a report, based on which screening camps were held at three places in January.
"In these camps, 566 people were examined, of whom 21 were found to be infected with HIV," the CMO said, adding in all 46 people were infected with the deadly virus.
He said the investigation revealed that the quack, Rajendra Kumar, living in a neighbouring village, had used a single syringe for injection in the name of cheaper treatment which led to significant rise in the number HIV cases.