HYDERABAD: About 571 persons in Andhra Pradesh have been allegedly infected with the HIV virus through blood transfusion in the last four years. Experts attribute such infections to rampant malpractices among blood banks and hasty oversight on the part of the recipient.
As per the data available on the occurrence of such cases between 2009 and 2012, in different states across the country, mentioned in the Parliament recently, the number of people infected with HIV through blood transfusions in Andhra Pradesh was allegedly amongst the highest in India. In the recent past, instances of transfusion of HIV-infected blood were widely reported from Nellore and Warangal.
Amongst the southern states, Tamil Nadu did not report any case, while Karnataka recorded 100 such cases more than AP during the same period. Activists working with the people with HIV say the high numbers can be attributed to the demand-supply gap for safe blood. Voluntary blood donations rates are not high while blood banks peddle infected blood, they said. The failure of the government to rein in such malpractices only makes matters worse.
In May, this year, an 18-month-old baby Kavya, was detected with HIV AIDS, which doctors suspect occurred from an infected blood transfusion. The news made national headlines, highlighting negligence on the part of authorities.
Narendra Revelli of Centre for Advocacy and Research who has been working for a decade with the AP State Aids Control Society (APSACS) blames private blood banks. "It is mandatory to check blood for HIV before it is banked. However, owing to the supply shortage, unauthorized blood banks do not discard infected blood even if it tests HIV-positive. There is no possibility of infection if blood is checked and banked properly," he said.
Revelli said that banks mostly rely heavily on professional donors who donate blood for money and therefore do it on a weekly basis. "There are several such donors near the clock tower area in Secunderabad and Nampally where there are many private blood banks," he added.
Officials of APSACS, however, disputed the numbers stating that blood transfusion is the cause of infection in very few cases. Nevertheless, they did not rule out risks of contracting the virus from blood available at unauthorized blood banks. "The number of cases in which blood transfusion has been established as the cause for infection is much less. However, it should be noted that there is a risk of infection if blood is procured from unauthorized blood banks where testing for HIV may not be performed," said Dr J C Reddy of Integrated Counselling and Testing Services (ICTS) wing at APSACS.
The figures quoted in the Parliament are those from ICTSs across the country. Experts also said that the district and state health officials do not supervise blood banks. "I don't think there has been any change in terms of both blood procurement and voluntary donation which have not improved," said Revelli.
HIV via blood transfusion on the rise - The Times of India
As per the data available on the occurrence of such cases between 2009 and 2012, in different states across the country, mentioned in the Parliament recently, the number of people infected with HIV through blood transfusions in Andhra Pradesh was allegedly amongst the highest in India. In the recent past, instances of transfusion of HIV-infected blood were widely reported from Nellore and Warangal.
Amongst the southern states, Tamil Nadu did not report any case, while Karnataka recorded 100 such cases more than AP during the same period. Activists working with the people with HIV say the high numbers can be attributed to the demand-supply gap for safe blood. Voluntary blood donations rates are not high while blood banks peddle infected blood, they said. The failure of the government to rein in such malpractices only makes matters worse.
In May, this year, an 18-month-old baby Kavya, was detected with HIV AIDS, which doctors suspect occurred from an infected blood transfusion. The news made national headlines, highlighting negligence on the part of authorities.
Narendra Revelli of Centre for Advocacy and Research who has been working for a decade with the AP State Aids Control Society (APSACS) blames private blood banks. "It is mandatory to check blood for HIV before it is banked. However, owing to the supply shortage, unauthorized blood banks do not discard infected blood even if it tests HIV-positive. There is no possibility of infection if blood is checked and banked properly," he said.
Revelli said that banks mostly rely heavily on professional donors who donate blood for money and therefore do it on a weekly basis. "There are several such donors near the clock tower area in Secunderabad and Nampally where there are many private blood banks," he added.
Officials of APSACS, however, disputed the numbers stating that blood transfusion is the cause of infection in very few cases. Nevertheless, they did not rule out risks of contracting the virus from blood available at unauthorized blood banks. "The number of cases in which blood transfusion has been established as the cause for infection is much less. However, it should be noted that there is a risk of infection if blood is procured from unauthorized blood banks where testing for HIV may not be performed," said Dr J C Reddy of Integrated Counselling and Testing Services (ICTS) wing at APSACS.
The figures quoted in the Parliament are those from ICTSs across the country. Experts also said that the district and state health officials do not supervise blood banks. "I don't think there has been any change in terms of both blood procurement and voluntary donation which have not improved," said Revelli.
HIV via blood transfusion on the rise - The Times of India
