A woman and her child tested positive for human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV), on Friday, in Larkana’s Ratodero district. They were tested at a camp organised in Taluka Headquarter Hospital by Sindh AIDS Control Program (SACP) that screened blood samples of as many as 71 people. Another patient tested positive for Hepatitis C. Those who were tested included men, women and children. Earlier on Thursday, two minors had tested positive for HIV. The two cases screened at camp have raised the tally to four so far in Ratodero. Meanwhile, claims of 15 positive cases in the district continue to spread panic. The SACP team, however, failed to reach the affected village of Bozdar community suspected of carrying the virus in greater numbers. Meanwhile, Larkana District Health Officer (DHO), Dr Abdul Rahman Baloch, told this scribe that quacks cannot be solely blamed for the sudden outburst of HIV positive cases because they share the same syringes. He added that blood is not fully screened before transfusion while barbers also use the same blades when shaving children’s heads. Dr Baloch also talked about HIV positive transgenders said to be sexually transmitting the virus. He confirmed that two cases had been found on Thursday out of the three who had come for testing whereas another two tested positive on Friday out of 71. The DHO noted that a committee of four senior officers had been constituted, including himself, which was in touch with Sindh Health Care Commission and other related officers. He confirmed that there remained no doubt regarding HIV cases in Ratodero yet remarked that they would have to find out the factors involved in spreading the disease to eliminate them. The cellular numbers given by the positive patients were said to be pursued and they would be reached on Saturday at their houses. A camp would also be established in the village to ascertain the positive numbers while adding their history would reveal everything before us. In the meantime, 2,392 HIV patients were registered at the HIV/AIDS Treatment and Care Center, working in Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, out of which 1,859 were males while 481 were females; 20 children and 32 eunuchs. Larkana continues to occupy the top position in the list with 1068 patients.