9-Year-old blood cancer patient tested HIV positive after blood transfusion

A 9-year-old girl suffering from blood cancer has tested positive for HIV allegedly after getting a transfusion of infected blood, the police said on Thursday.  

The teenage girl was being treated at the Alapuzha Medical College and Hospital from where she was referred to the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram.

After doctors noticed swelling in one of her eyes, they carried out various tests, including a blood test, which revealed she was HIV positive, the police said.

In the complaint, the girl's father said that she contracted the dreaded disease after a blood transfusion, but the police said they were still investigating how she got infected.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government ordered a probe by an expert team into a complaint thata 9-year-old girl suffering from blood cancer contracted HIV after blood transfusion at the Regional Cancer Centre.     

Taking a serious view of the complaint by the girl's father, Health Minister K K Shylaja directed constitution of a panel, headed by the Joint Director of Medical Education (DME) Dr Sreekumari, to probe the matter.

The Minister said the committee has been asked to submita report after conducting an immediate probe.     

She also said that the government would bear all expenses for further treatment of the girl.     

According to police, the girl was being treated at the Alapuzha Medical College from where she was referred to the RCC for further treatment.   

RCC authorities, in a statement, said the institution hadalready started an immediate departmental inquiry into the incident when the allegation came up.  

They said the girl had come with the report of a bloodtest conducted in external laboratories.     

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala visited the girl andher family at the hospital in the morning and demanded acomprehensive probe into the incident.     

Those responsible should be dismissed from service, hesaid, adding that the government should give financialassistance to the family.   

Chennithala made this demand during a telephonic talk with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after visiting the family.