News / Africa
Nurse gets 3-yrs for spreading HIV
19 May 2014 at 14:46hrs | Views
Kampala - A court in Uganda has sentenced a nurse to three years in jail after finding her guilty of criminal negligence in a case stemming from allegations she intentionally tried to infect her patient with HIV.
The nurse, Rosemary Namubiru, maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
Namubiru, who is 64 and is HIV positive, was accused of exposing a child to the virus by administering an injection using a needle that was contaminated with her blood.
Some activist groups said she was the victim of stigma and discrimination because of her HIV status and that her trial was unwarranted.
Although the nurse was charged under a colonial-era law against negligence that spreads a deadly disease, Ugandan lawmakers have since passed a law specifically criminalising the intentional transmission of HIV.
The nurse, Rosemary Namubiru, maintained her innocence throughout the trial.
Some activist groups said she was the victim of stigma and discrimination because of her HIV status and that her trial was unwarranted.
Although the nurse was charged under a colonial-era law against negligence that spreads a deadly disease, Ugandan lawmakers have since passed a law specifically criminalising the intentional transmission of HIV.
Source - AP
