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212 villagers infected in HIV outbreak in northwest Cambodia

Xinhua, January 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least 212 villagers have been infected with HIV in a remote Roka commune in northwest Cambodia's Battambang province, the Cambodian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) jointly announced Saturday.

"From Dec. 8 to 31, 2014, a total of 1,940 people from Roka commune voluntarily undertook HIV testing and counseling and 212 people tested positive for HIV," said a joint statement. "Among the 212 HIV carriers, 39 people are below 14 years old, 127 are between 15 and 59 years old and 46 people are 60 years old or older."

The statement said that among the people tested HIV positive, 172 people, or 82 percent, are from Roka village.

Locals in the commune have flocked to a health center to have their blood tested for HIV since Dec. 8 after a 74-year-old man, who tested positive for the virus in November, alerted others who used to receive medical treatment from an unlicensed doctor to get tested.

Villagers have pinned the blame of the outbreak on the unlicensed doctor, Yem Chrin, 56, who allegedly used unsterilized needles and reused syringes on patients. Endi