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Hong Kong (CNN) -- An unlicensed doctor has been
charged with causing an HIV outbreak in a remote village in northwestern
Battambang province, local media report.
More than 800 panicked
residents of Rokar village sought testing after reports of infections
emerged last week. Some 106 people tested positive for HIV, according to the National AIDS authority.
The police confirmed Chroeum used contaminated needles.
Obama: Work still to do in AIDS fight
"After questioning Yem
Chroeum, he confessed he did order his son-in-law to burn down the
evidence behind his house, and (treated) patients with negligence, as
well as using the same needles to treat them," Chet Vanny, deputy police
chief of Battambang province told the Phnom Penh Post.
Cambodia calls for investigation
Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen called for an inquiry into the mass HIV infection last week.
"I call for a thorough investigation into the issue," Hun Sen said in a televised speech.
The Ministry of Health,
the World Health Organization and UNAIDS have sent teams to the village
to carry out more investigations and provide free testing and treatment
services.
"I urge everyone to stay
calm and avoid listening to or spreading rumors," said Dr Mam Bunheng,
minister of health in a press release.
"We should also all
fully respect the privacy of the affected families and ensure they do
not face stigma and discrimination," he added.
UNAIDS estimates there
are 76,000 people living with HIV in Cambodia. The country has been
widely praised for its progress in tackling AIDS. New HIV infections
have dropped by 67% from 3500 in 2005 to 1300 in 2013, according to UNAIDS.
Prime Minister Hun Sen
announced last week that Cambodia is committed to stopping new HIV
infections by 2020. The government will allocate US$3.7 million of
national funding to HIV treatment from 2015 to 2017.
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