Physical Wellness

Uganda Nurse Accused Of Deliberately Spreading HIV

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Apr 14, 2014 09:12 AM EDT

An HIV-infected nurse has been accused of injecting her blood into a two-year-old patient. The Ugandan press has nicknamed her as "the killer nurse." 

The case of Rosemary Namubiru is being viewed by media as a disturbing example of the poor hospital standards thought to be commonplace in the country, The State Column reported

The nurse was initially charged with murder, denied bail and was sent to jail. 

The AIDS-Free World, an international AIDS advocacy organization has been following the trial. In a statement the group said that Namubiru who is HIV positive was trying to give an injection to the patient when she accidentally pricked her finger with the needle. Later after fixing her finger, it appeared that instead of using a different needle, she went on to use the same contaminated needle when she administered the injection to the child, reported TechTimes

The group added that the patient's mother suspected that the nurse used the same needle and became concerned regarding her child. Later when the results confirmed that she was HIV positive, Namubiru was arrested. 

"Neither the mother nor the hospital alleged that Rosemary had any intention of harming the child," AIDS-Free World said in a statement.

"The implications of this case are far- reaching: the Namubiru case appears to be the first in Uganda's courts dealing directly with HIV exposure and transmission. Efforts to criminalize HIV transmission, and the failure of both the media and the prosecutor's office to act responsibly, set a dangerous precedent and could have grave consequences for the fundamental rights of people living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda and beyond."

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