PATNA, Dec. 13 -- The Bihar government has issued a show-cause notice and stopped the salary of a contractual doctor posted at the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centre of Sitamarhi district hospital for allegedly sharing "incorrect data" with the media, creating confusion about a supposed spike in HIV cases, officials said on Friday.

The action follows reports that went viral earlier this week claiming Sitamarhi had recorded 7,400 HIV cases, including over 400 infected children, prompting public concern and a query from the Union health minister to his Bihar counterpart, Mangal Pandey.

At a joint press conference on Thursday, district magistrate Richie Pandey, Bihar State AIDS Control Society additional project director Dr N.K. Gupta, a...