Phnom Penh, Dec 29 (IANS): At least 201 Cambodians have been infected with HIV in Battambang province, an official said Monday.

The official said that three villages in Roka commune have been affected by the outbreak, which officials have blamed on an unlicensed doctor, Yem Chrin, who allegedly used unsterilised needles and reused syringes on patients, Xinhua reported.

"According to the latest figure, up to 201 have been confirmed positive for HIV in Roka commune," he said.

Soeum Chhom, who has been collecting signatures and thumbprints from those who tested positive for compiling official data, said all the victims used to receive medical injections from the suspected doctor.

Locals in the commune have flocked to a health centre to have their blood tested for HIV since Dec 8 after a 74-year-old man, who tested positive for the virus in November, alerted others who used to receive medical treatment from the suspected doctor to get tested.

The Battambang Provincial Court has charged the alleged doctor, who was arrested Dec 17 and faces life imprisonment if convicted.

Cambodia has launched a full probe into the mass HIV infection since Dec 18.

So far, no information has been released by the investigation team, which comprises experts from the Cambodian health ministry, the World Health Organisation, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, UNAIDS and Pasteur Institute in Cambodia.