An international group of 44 researchers, including an Indian American scientist, have appealed to Libya for the release of six healthcare workers charged// with intentionally infecting about 400 children with HIV. Seeking the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who have been incarcerated in a Libyan prison for nearly eight years, the researchers explained that scientific evidence shows the virus was present in the hospital before the accused workers arrived.

The most reasonable explanation for the outbreak is poor infection control practices, including the lack of sterile, disposable injecting equipment, wrote Sunil K. Ahuja and co-authors in a letter to Science, published online Tuesday. Ahuja is from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Robert Gallo and C. David Pauza of the Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland, Baltimore and their colleagues have requested that their governments reach out to the Libyan people and their political leadership to find a way to release the workers.

They also want them to provide the means to look after the HIV-infected children, and help with all efforts to detect, treat and prevent HIV infections within Libya, according to American Association for the Advancement of Science.

What has happened to the accused sends a chilling message to all healthcare workers who choose to work in difficult circumstances to deliver life-saving care to HIV-1-infected or at-risk people worldwide, the authors wrote.

The Libyan court has excluded expert testimony from independent scientists, while relying instead on confessions extracted under torture and making threats of execution for any non-cooperation by the accused, they alleged.

As Libya is now seeking closer ties with the Western world, the scientists urged their governments to reach out to the Libyan people and their political leadership to find a way out.

"I
'"/>




Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Scientists plan human cloning clinic in the United States
2. Scientists found ancient Human Germ Killer
3. Scientists locate key hormone involved in appetite control
4. Scientists open the book of life
5. Scientists review SARS
6. Scientists crack dengue fever puzzle
7. Scientists push to lower hidden sodium in food
8. Indian Scientists Make Wide-Ranging Analysis And Annotation Of X Chromosome
9. Scientists have found effective brain regions for deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s
10. Scientists reveal the secrets of sarcasm
11. Scientists Unveil Mechanism Behind Resistance to Severe Malaria