Probe Ordered After Children Test HIV-Positive Following Blood Transfusions in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: An investigation has been ordered into the incident in which children who received blood transfusions at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh were found to be HIV-positive. A six-member committee has been constituted, Public Health and Medical Education Department Commissioner Tarun Rathi said. The committee has been directed to submit its investigation report within seven days.

The HIV infections were detected among children suffering from thalassemia who were undergoing treatment at district hospitals in Satna and Jabalpur. The infection was first confirmed in four children aged between eight and ten who were receiving treatment at the Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital in Indore. Subsequently, two more children were found to be HIV-positive. One of the children’s parents has also tested positive for the infection.

Thalassemia patients require regular blood transfusions to survive. It is alleged that safety protocols were not properly followed during the transfusions. The HIV infection was detected when the children’s blood samples were tested. Authorities are investigating whether the virus was transmitted through blood supplied by the hospital blood bank or through other medical instruments used during treatment.