Thiruvananthapuram: A nine-year-old girl from Alappuzha afflicted by cancer has now been found to be infected with HIV virus, possibly after receiving blood from the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here.

The girl had undergone chemotherapy at RCC four times in the past.

Before the fifth chemotherapy, she was subjected to regular blood tests and it was detected that she was HIV positive.

The girl had received blood from RCC during the chemotherapy sessions. The blood samples were sent to specialised laboratories in Mumbai where it was confirmed the samples contained HIV strains.

Health Minister KK Shailaja has formed a team, headed by Joint Director at the Directorate of Medical Emergency Education Dr Sreekumari, to probe the matter.

There will be none from Alappuzha Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and RCC in the team.
Police have registered a case.