Fake doctor in India infects 21 people with HIV while treating them for coughs and colds

Villagers say they rarely saw him changing the needles

Stock image: Police are looking for Rajendra Yadav, who has fled Bangarmau, a small town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh (Rex)

An Indian health official says a fake doctor treating poor villagers for colds, coughs and diarrhea has infected at least 21 of them with HIV by using contaminated syringes and needles.

Sushil Choudhury, the official, says police are looking for Rajendra Yadav, who has fled Bangarmau, a small town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The villagers say they rarely saw him changing the needles. Choudhury said Tuesday that probably led to the spread of HIV.

With India's health care system facing a massive shortage of doctors and hospitals, millions of poor people seek fake doctors for cheap treatment.

India had 2.1 million people living with HIV at the end of 2016, according to UNAIDS.

AP