Thiruvananthapuram: The parents of the nine-year-old girl who got infected with HIV following a blood transfusion at the Regional Cancer Centre here, have alleged that the authorities at the centre had discontinued free cancer treatment to her. The child was undergoing treatment for blood cancer. The father of the child alleged that the RCC authorities had stopped free cancer care they were giving to the child.
The doctors have not yet started the anti retroviral therapy for HIV infection since the final report on the viral load was expected from NACO institutions in Delhi. RCC officials however denied the allegation that the girl was denied treatment at the Centre. They maintained that the parents of the child came and demanded discharge. It may be recalled that the tests conducted at Chennai hospital could not detect the viral load for HIV. Many quoted the report to claim that the girl was not having HIV infection.
The viral load test measures the number of virus particles per ml blood. If the viral load is less than 50 copies of HIV per ml then it is difficult to detect the virus. In such a situation the result would be “undetectable viral load”. The Tambaram Centre is one of the authorised agencies approved by NACO for conducting viral load test for HIV and other viruses. According to doctors, the viral load test does not indicate whether the child is infected or not. The test can only decide on the treatment part of the patient. Only severity of the infection is indicated.
