Rajendra Yadav accused of infecting many people with HIV in Unnao by using a single syringe
Highlights
- Rajendra Yadav charged Rs 10 and gave free medicines to attract patients
- 33 HIV positive cases were reported from just three villages last month
- Police tracked him down after a criminal case was filed against him
A quack accused of infecting 58 people with HIV over the last year by using the same syringe to administer injections in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district has been arrested. Police tracked down Rajendra Yadav after a criminal case was filed against him over the spread of the infection.
A fee of Rs 10 and free medicines was a sales pitch the quack used for over a decade in the Bangarmau town to attract patients from rural areas. 33 HIV positive cases were reported from just three villages in the area last month.
During a routine screening held from April to July last year, 12 HIV positive cases were reported from Bangarmau tehsil alone. Then during another screening held in November, 13 more cases were reported from the same place, Chief Medical Officer Dr S P Chaudhary told the Press Trust of India.
After noticing the high number of cases, the health department held screening camps at three places in Bangarmau in January this year. Of the 566 people who were examined, 33 were found to be HIV positive, said Dr Chaudhary.
In the whole of last year, just 12 people from the entire district had tested positive for HIV.
Teams from the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and the UP AIDS Control Society that reached Unnao today visited the district hospital and the CMO's office. They will visit the areas where the infections were reported.
According to 2017 data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), India has 2.1 million people living with HIV. New HIV infections in have decreased by 46% since 2010, the agency said. But horror stories like the one in Unnao continue to be a challenge.
(With Inputs From PTI)