Man with HIV arrested after three ‘infected syringes’ found in shopping centre – World News

Three syringes which police fear may have been infected by a man with HIV have been found inside a supermarket.

The needles were placed on the shelves without a protective cap and have been sent off for investigation to see if they were being used to transmit the virus.

A middle-aged man, whose name has not been disclosed, was arrested for hiding the syringes in the Centronova shopping centre in the Italian city of Bologna.

Store workers discovered the syringes on three separate occasions between Friday, January 8 and Monday, January 18 and informed the police who started the investigation.

One of the syringes was found on a supermarket shelf among oral hygiene products, and two more were hidden on the shelves of another store in the commercial centre.

The police collected witness statements and viewed the video CCTV footage to identifying and later detain the suspect.

Police also found him in possession of 55 new syringes along with medical documentation certifying his HIV diagnosis.

Further investigations are underway to see if he had contaminated the needles to attempt to transmit HIV.

The seized material was sent to the Scientific Investigations Department of Parma for technical and scientific investigations.

The NHS provides information on HIV and AIDS on its website :

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that damages the cells in your immune system and weakens your ability to fight everyday infections and disease.

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.

While AIDS cannot be transmitted from 1 person to another, the HIV virus can.

There’s currently no cure for HIV, but there are very effective drug treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.

With an early diagnosis and effective treatments, most people with HIV will not develop any AIDS-related illnesses and will live a near-normal lifespan.