The head of a support organisation for people suffering the effects of HIV has angered a concerned father by condemning media “hype and misinformation” following the uproar over an HIV-infected nurse who inserted a needle into his toddler having allegedly accidentally pricked herself on it moments earlier.
Stella Kentuts, head of the National Forum of People Living with HIV/AIDS Networks in Uganda, told reporters: “What happened is that she was trying to put a cannula (needle and tube) on the baby, but he was moving a lot and she pricked herself. Once the baby calmed down, she still went on and used the same cannula,”
The child’s father slammed international activists for claiming Namubiru was the victim of discrimination because she is HIV positive, and yet showing no concern for the real victim. Dan Mushabe said: “We thank the media for ignoring the narrative that was being peddled by those who pretend to be fighting for HIV/Aids-positive people, yet they showed no concern for an innocent little baby who was exposed to HIV in one of the most heinous ways by someone we trusted to treat and cure our baby,”
Nurse Rosemary Namubiru, 64, who has been styled ‘The Killer Nurse” by some sections of the media, received a 3-year jail term for ‘criminal negligence’ following a trial for attempted murder. The court found that Namubiru intentionally attempted to infect the child by being professionally negligent in continuing with the procedure after piercing her own skin, even accidentally, with the cannula. Namubiru maintained her innocence throughout; while admitting she accidentally pricked herself with a needle she then used to give a baby an injection.
The child’s mother, who was present when the incident happened on January 7 at Victoria Medical Centre, realized the needle had not been changed and alerted authorities, after which Namubiru was immediately arrested. According to court records, two tests have shown the child was not infected with HIV, but experts say it is too early to say with any certainty.
According to Ugandan law, any person who unlawfully or negligently does any act which is and which he or she knows or has reason to believe to be likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life commits an offence and is liable to imprisonment of up to seven years.
Uganda is one of the 60 countries that criminalize the intentional transmission of HIV. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, 7.3 per cent of the population is HIV positive.
