UP quack leaves 40 infected with HIV

At least 40 people have been infected with HIV in UP’s Unnao district in the last 10 months allegedly after a quack used a common syringe to administer injections, an official said on Tuesday.

An FIR has been registered by Bangarmau police against the culprit, Rajendra Kumar, who is absconding. The Yogi Adityanath government has also ordered a probe.

The matter came to light after the health department launched a probe following reports of high number of HIV cases in the area.

Kumar charged his patients a fee of ` 10, with medicines, and carried his “mobile “clinic on a bicycle from village to village. The youngest of his victim is a sixyearold while many of the patients are in their 70s, officials said.

Health minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said, “Since Unnao is a transit point, HIV carriers, including truck and

bus drivers, are likely to come in. We are mapping truck drivers who come there and offer treatment to others.” The 40 HIV positivepatients have now been referred to antiretroviral therapy centre in Kanpur for treatment, said an official.

According to sources, some people had filed a complaint against the quack in the CMO office a few months ago but no action was taken.

An official said, “Earlier 21 persons had tested HIV positive but the number has gone up to 40 now. If more tests are carried out in the surrounding villages, we fear that the number may go up substantially.” In the past five years, Kanpur and Unnao had reported only one HIV positive case.