6 thalassemic kids test HIV+ in Jharkhand after getting ‘infected’ blood
Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered an audit of all blood banks in the state and sought a report within five days.
Six children suffering from thalassemia have contracted HIV after they were allegedly administered infected blood during transfusions at a hospital in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, prompting the state government to order a high-level investigation and suspend the civil surgeon and other officials concerned, officials aware of the matter said on Sunday. The Jharkhand high court has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought a detailed report from the health secretary.
The development comes days after a seven-year-old thalassemia patient, who had received a blood transfusion at a local blood bank in Chaibasa town on September 13, tested HIV positive during a follow-up test on October 18. His family later filed a complaint against a blood bank technician, alleging negligence. A five-member medical team subsequently launched an investigation in the matter and confirmed similar infections in five more children.
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District civil surgeon Dr Sushanto Kumar Majhi, who has since been suspended,said four of the six patients are from West Singhbhum district and two are from the Seraikela-Kharsawan district in Jharkhand.
“We have identified the 32 donors who gave blood to the 7-year-old boy, who first tested positive. The line-listing has been done and blood samples of all these 32 donors are being taken. The district currently has 417 HIV positive patients taking medicines from the ART centre, while 65 HIV patients have died and 70 transferred or moved to other places etc. A total of 56 thalassemia patients are being treated in the district currently,” Majhi said.
Thalasssemia is a genetic condition in which a person can be chronically low on oxygen-carrying hemoglobin, which makes regular transfusions necessary for most.
Taking to X, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Sunday ordered an audit of all blood banks in the state and sought a report within five days.
“Instructions have been issued to suspend the civil surgeon of West Singhbhum, along with other responsible officials, following reports of HIV-infected blood transfusion to children suffering from thalassemia in Chaibasa. The state government will provide financial assistance of ₹2 lakh to each affected family and will bear the complete cost of treatment for the infected children,” he said.
The five-member team, led by director (health services) Dr Dinesh Kumar, inspected the blood bank at Sadar Hospital and the paediatric intensive care unit ward and gathered details from children under treatment. “Some discrepancies have been identified in the blood bank and the officials have been asked to resolve those. We have also suggested some changes in the method of working and ensure complete sterilisation and certification,” Kumar said.
