Anger and agony has engulfed a small city in Pakistan after 900 children were diagnosed with HIV.
Allegations have emerged linking the incident to a paediatrician who has been reusing old syringes.
Muzaffar Ghanghro, the paediatrician has since been charged with negligence, manslaughter and causing harm due to the outbreak in the small city of Ratodero in April.
The paediatrician who was charging 16p per visit for Ratodero’s poorest parents worked as a GP at a government hospital.
Up to now, 1, 100 people have tested positive for the HIV but health officials fear the number could be higher since only a quarter of the entire city’s population has been tested.
FEVER THAT RESISTED TREATMENT
The outbreak came to light when residents of Ratodero developed fevers that were resistant to treatment.
This caused frenzied panic as they rushed to get tested.
This is when the health officials revealed that many of the children who were infected had sought medication from the same paediatrician.
A local journalist, Gulbahar Shaikh also got his children tested since they had visited the suspect and was horrified to discover that his two-year-old daughter had contracted the virus.
Another resident Jalbani Imtiaz also confessed that four out of his six children who had been treated by Mr Ghangro had HIV/ AIDS.
His 14-months-old toddler and three-year-old girl have already died.
According to the New York Times, Mr Jalbani alleges that he saw the Paediatrician rummage through rubbish for a syringe to inject his six-year-old son who also tested positive.
When he confronted the paediatrician, he claimed that he was doing so because he could not afford to buy one.
INNOCENT
The paediatrician insisted that he is innocent and never reused syringes.
Health officials have said that he might not be the only suspect since there is overwhelming evidence of many doctors reusing syringes.
