Five children test HIV positive after transfusion from blood bank; health department intensifies probe

NEW DELHI: Five children with Thalassemia tested positive for HIV in Chaibasa, Jharkhand. The blood transfusion from a blood bank in the district is blamed for the disease in the children. Following a complaint that a seven-year-old boy was given HIV-infected blood from a local blood bank, a medical team from Ranchi on Saturday confirmed that four more children with thalassemia were infected with HIV. With this, the total number of children infected with the disease has reached five.

A single child had about 25 units of blood from the blood bank, officials said. District Civil Surgeon Dr Susanto Majhi said a seven-year-old tested positive for HIV a week ago. However, he added that HIV infection can also occur due to other reasons, including contaminated needles. The investigation team, led by the Director of Health Services, inspected the blood bank and the pediatric intensive care unit of Sadar Hospital and collected information from the children undergoing treatment.

Initial investigations indicate that infected blood may have been given to thalassemia patients. During the inspection, some irregularities were also found in the blood bank. The Director of Health Services officials stated that they have instructed the concerned officials to resolve the issue. Currently, there are 515 HIV positive cases and 56 thalassemia patients in West Singhbhum district.

Thalassemia is a genetic disease transmitted through blood. It is a disease that is passed from parents to children through genetic mutations. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that results in the body producing too little haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. The main symptoms are fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath. The symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disease. The main symptoms are fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.