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 that Sitamarhi district 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 in this regard. At a joint press conference on Thursday, district magistrate Richie Pandey, Bihar State AIDS Control Society additional project director Dr NK Gupta, and civil surgeon Dr Akhilesh Kumar clarified that the figure reflected cumulative registrations since 2005, not recent infections. "So far, 6,900 HIV cases have been registered at the Sitamarhi ART centre since its inception in 2005. Of them, 188 are children over the last 20 years. As of now, 4,900 people are alive and on ART," Dr Gupta said, adding that Sitamarhi district had recorded only 200 new cases between April and October this year. Civil surgeon Dr Akhilesh Kumar served a show-cause notice on Dr Haseen Akhtar, the ART medical officer, for allegedly speaking to the media without approval and providing incorrect figures. His salary has been withheld pending a decision on his response....