Cambodian jailed for mass HIV outbreak
Print Edition
A Cambodian court sentenced an unlicensed medical practitioner to 25 years in prison yesterday after finding him responsible for infecting more than 100 villagers with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by reusing unsanitized syringes. At least 10 of the infected people have died so far.
Yem Chrin was found guilty of cruel behavior resulting in death, intentionally spreading HIV and practicing medicine without a license, said a spokesman for the court in the northwestern province of Battambang. His trial was conducted over five days in October.
Yem Chrin, 56, was arrested last December and taken into protective custody, with authorities fearing he might be lynched by residents of Roka village, where at least 106 of 800 people tested were found to be infected with HIV. Local newspapers reported the total was 300. He insisted he meant no harm and was only trying to help people in the community.
The infected patients ranged in age from 3 to 82 and included Buddhist monks. Cambodia had a high HIV prevalence rate of 2 percent in 1998, but an aggressive campaign to promote safe sex brought the figure down to an estimated 0.7 percent last year, according to the UN agency that spearheads the worldwide fight against AIDS.
Cambodia, one of the world’s poorest countries, has inadequate health care facilities. In rural areas, villagers often rely on unlicensed medical practitioners.
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