14 children infected with HIV, Hepatitis after blood transfusion in UP Govt Hospital, proper tests not done before donating blood

LUCKNOW: 14 children who received blood from a government hospital were found to be infected with HIV and hepatitis. The incident happened at the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Blood was given to children suffering from thalassemia. Apart from HIV, they also tested positive for Hepatitis B and C.

Reports said the reason for the mistake was that proper tests were not done before blood transfusion. 180 thalassemia patients received blood from the hospital. 14 children infected with HIV virus had received blood from district and private hospitals. The HIV virus was confirmed in children between the ages of six and 16. The children are from Kanpur City, Dehat, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Etawah, Kannauj etc.

Out of the 14 children, seven have been diagnosed with Hepatitis B, five with Hepatitis C and two with HIV, said Dr Arun Arya, head of Pediatric department of Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital. Among them, those suffering from hepatitis were sent to the gastroenterology department and those suffering from HIV to the referral center in Kanpur, he said.

‘Children are infected with HIV and hepatitis when they are battling a serious illness. This has worsened the situation. The blood should have been tested to make sure it is safe for use. The virus can usually be detected by testing. However, the children may be infected with HIV and hepatitis during the window period. The window period is the time when the virus cannot be detected in the test. Doctors gave anti-hepatitis medication during blood donation may also be the cause of HIV and hepatitis infection,' added Dr Arya.

Meantime, a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh National Health Mission said that district-level officials will examine how the children contracted the virus.