"Cambodian villagers angry over HIV outbreak" Associated Press December 19, 2014
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s prime minister appealed Thursday to villagers in northwestern Cambodia not to lynch an unlicensed medical practitioner who they suspect caused more than 100 people to become infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
A joint statement from the ministry and the World Health Organization said some people who tested positive for the disease had earlier received care from the unlicensed medical practitioner. HIV spreads through the transmission of bodily fluids, such as the reuse of syringes or needles.
Reports in the Phnom Penh Post and other newspapers said the practitioner was taken into protective custody by police after threats from villagers. Prime Minister Hun Sen urged authorities to give the man full protection.
Hun Sen said health officials should be allowed time to make a full investigation.
The Health Ministry said a team including experts from US and UN agencies was sent to Battambang province ‘‘to determine the source, extent, and chain of transmission.’’
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