MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): An alarming increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases has been reported in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, with around 60 people diagnosed with the virus in the past ten days.
Sources said that the outbreak resulted from medical negligence and poor sanitation practices at the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), a major hospital in the city.
The matter came to light when routine tests were conducted on some dialysis patients at the AIMS, in which four patients tested positive for HIV.
Initial investigations suggest that serious negligence in cleaning dialysis machines at the hospital led to the transmission of the virus to patients.
Medical waste is also not being disposed of properly and is being dumped in the open near drains and rivers, posing a risk to child scavengers who come into contact with it.
In addition to that, open barber shops in the city are also being cited as a possible cause of the spread of the virus, where razors and other equipment are used without disinfection.
Health experts have demanded strict implementation of cleanliness protocols in hospitals, an inquiry into dialysis centers, safe disposal of medical waste, and awareness campaigns to prevent the spread of the virus.
There is also a need to start an HIV awareness campaign at the public level so that citizens can be informed about the methods of prevention of this virus, experts said.
