Doctor arrested for allegedly spreading HIV in Larkana

HYDERABAD: Police Tuesday arrested a doctor  in Larkana on charges of spreading HIV amongst his patients.The accused Dr Muzaffar Ghanghar, who himself is an HIV patient, was employed at a public hospital in Ratodero district of Larkana. He was allegedly responsible for spreading the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among his patients.The doctor’s arrest came after the authorities tried to ascertain the causes behind the spread of the virus among the residents of Larkana, Sindh.The panic had gripped the district early this month when the number of HIV-positive cases rose to 39 including more than a dozen children, according to Geo TV.Children are among the patients diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes the deadly AIDS disease which claimed a million lives worldwide.However, Dr Ghanghar denied the charges and termed the case a "conspiracy" against him. He said that he was not aware of his condition. Adding, "If I had known about [HIV/AIDS] I would have sought treatment." Dr Sikander Memon, in-charge of the Aids Control Programme in Sindh, said a team will arrive in Ratodero next week to determine the causes behind the transmission of the HIV among the residents.According to an estimate by Dr Memon, there are estimated to be more than 100,000 HIV-positive people in Sindh province. However, the Aids Control Programme has only 10,350 registered patients who are provided treatment.According to WHO, Pakistan is registering approximately 20,000 new HIV infections annually, the highest rate of increase among all countries in the region.