Five Children Test HIV-Positive After Thalassemia Blood Transfusions in Jharkhand: Medical Investigation Reveals Blood Bank Irregularities

A five-member medical team has conducted an inspection at the Sadar Hospital blood bank following concerning developments.

On Saturday, an additional four children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV in Jharkhand's Chaibasa town, bringing the total number of affected minors to five. The discovery was made during an investigation conducted by a specialized medical team from Ranchi.

This alarming situation emerged just one day after the family of a seven-year-old thalassemia patient claimed that the local blood bank in Chaibasa had provided HIV-contaminated blood for transfusion.

In response to these allegations, the state government promptly established a medical investigation team to determine how the child received contaminated blood during treatment.

Officials reported that approximately 25 units of blood had been administered to the child since they began receiving transfusions at the blood bank.

District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee noted that the initial child had tested positive for HIV more than a week ago. He also mentioned that HIV infection could potentially result from various factors, including exposure to contaminated needles, not exclusively from blood transfusions.

The investigation team, led by Jharkhand's Director of Health Services Dr. Dinesh Kumar, thoroughly examined both the blood bank facilities at Sadar Hospital and the pediatric intensive care unit. They also collected relevant information from children currently undergoing treatment.

Dr. Kumar stated that the investigation revealed certain irregularities within the blood bank's operations and instructed officials to address these issues immediately.

"Our preliminary investigation suggests that contaminated blood was indeed transfused to a thalassemia patient. We have identified some discrepancies in the blood bank's procedures during our investigation, and the relevant officials have been directed to resolve these issues promptly," Kumar explained.

Currently, West Singhbhum district has documented 515 HIV-positive cases and is providing care for 56 thalassemia patients.

The comprehensive investigation team led by Dr. Kumar includes several medical experts: Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. S.S. Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee, Dr. Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr. Minu Kumari.