Jharkhand: Five Thalassemia Children Test HIV-Positive At Chaibasa Hospital; Blood Bank Under Probe
Jharkhand: At least five children with thalassemia in Chaibasa tested HIV-positive on Saturday, following an investigation by a five-member medical team from Ranchi.
The probe was launched after a family alleged that a local blood bank had transfused HIV-infected blood to their seven-year-old child. Officials said the child had received around 25 blood transfusions from the blood bank.
District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee stated the child had tested HIV-positive over a week ago and noted that HIV infection could also occur from other sources, such as contaminated needles.
Led by Director of Health Services Dr Dinesh Kumar, the team examined the blood bank at Sadar Hospital and the pediatric ICU, gathering information from children under treatment.
“Initial investigation indicates that contaminated blood was transfused to a thalassemia patient. Some discrepancies were detected in the blood bank during the probe, and the officials concerned have been directed to resolve them,” Kumar said.
West Singhbhum currently reports 515 HIV-positive cases and 56 thalassemia patients. The investigation team includes Dr Shipra Das, Dr S.S. Paswan, Dr Bhagat, Dr Sushanto Majhee, Dr Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr Minu Kumari.
What is Thalassemia?
Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder in which the body is unable to produce enough hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. As a result, red blood cells become weak, break down faster, and their numbers decrease in the bloodstream.
People living with thalassemia often require frequent blood transfusions to maintain healthy levels of hemoglobin and support normal body function.
