Health officials in a southern Pakistani city say a rogue paediatrician’s reuse of syringe needles has led to nearly 900 children testing positive for HIV since an epidemic began earlier this year, according to The New York Times report.
Dr Muzaffar Ghanghro, a paediatrician in Ratodero, a small city in the Sindh province of Pakistan, was arrested in May on charges of negligence and manslaughter after patients alerted investigators of his alleged unsavoury practices, Pakistani media reported.
An investigation by police and health officials concluded Ghanghro’s “negligence and carelessness” was responsible for an outbreak of HIV in Ratodero, where about 200 adults also have tested positive for HIV since April, The New York Times reported.
Dr Muzaffar Ghangro, is seen behind the bars at a local police station in Rato Dero in the district of Larkana of the southern Sindh province /AFP
But, health officials said the number of affected patients was likely higher, given that less than a quarter of Ratodero’s 200,000 have been tested, according to the report.
The allegations against Ghanghro reflected a wider trend across much of Pakistan, where lack of knowledge on the subject has contributed to cases doubling since 2010, according to the United Nations’ task force on HIV and AIDS.
Nearly 900 Children Under 12 Test Positive For HIV In Pakistani City: NYT. https://t.co/tP99NPCJ7h
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 27, 2019
The organization said some 600,000 unqualified doctors were thought to be operating unlawfully in Pakistan – nearly half of them in the province where Ratodero is located.
After the outbreak was first reported, the government shut down clinics with unregistered doctors and illegal blood banks. But clinics were said to have started reopening after media coverage dropped.
Despite an initial investigation by police and health officials concluding Ganghro’s “negligence and carelessness” as the “prime” reason for the outbreak, officials believe he is unlikely to be the sole cause.
Visiting health workers often see doctors in Ratodero reusing syringes, while dentists use unsterilized tools in roadside surgeries and barbers use the same razor on various customers, The New York Times reported.
Imran Akbar, the doctor who first brought attention to the outbreak, told The New York Times: “Unless these quack doctors, barbers and dentists are not checked, the number of incidents of HIV infection will continue going up.”