The horror trail began in July 2017

KANPUR/LUCKNOW: The health department picked up the horror trail in Premgunj area in July 2017 when 12 people were tested positive for HIV.

Twelve patients, all residents of Premgunj, visited the integrated counselling and testing centre (ICTC) in Unnao where they voluntarily underwent the tests, health department officials said.

Pankaj Shukla, a counsellor at ICTC, said the patients complained of fever and diarrhoea.

Again in November, an NGO Amin Welfare Society informed the ICTC that it found 13 HIV patients during the screening at a camp in Premgunj.

The NGO is affiliated to the UP AIDS Control Society and holds camps to identify HIV patients in rural areas.

“We were surprised with the number of patients coming from a single locality,” chief medical officer (CMO), Unnao, SP Chowdhary said.

On January 24, 25 and 27, the health department organised camps in Premganj, Kareemuddin Nagar and Chakmeera where 566 people were screened.

During screening, 38 more patients were tested positive for HIV taking the total number of patients to 63 in the last seven months.

› We were surprised with the number of patients coming from a single locality. People are being asked to stay away from quacks and visit hospitals for treatment SP CHOWDHARY, CMO, Unnao

The CMO said the patients had been referred to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centre in Kanpur for further treatment.

“People are being asked to stay away from quacks and visit hospitals for treatment,” he said.