Shocking : 2,234 cases of HIV through blood transfusion in past 1.5 years

In a shocking revelation an RTI query to NACO has unfortunately painted a dismal picture of healthcare services in the country. The RTI simply questioned the number of HIV cases through blood transfusion. Shockingly high in number, the RTI response showed that  in the last 17 months, 2,234 HIV/AIDS cases have been registered across all over the India.  This data was released by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

These numbers just a week after a case was registered at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Assam, where a couple had claimed on the that their three year old child got HIV infected because of the contaminated blood transfusion.

The couple said the boy was given multiple blood transfusions during several surgeries last year to treat his burn injuries.

"Both me and my wife are HIV-negative. So how can the boy get HIV? Last year, we got him admitted to the hospital where he was given blood for some operations. We got blood from the GMCH blood bank only," said the parents on the condition of anonymity.

As per the Indian laws, all blood donors or donated blood must be screened for transmissible infections of HIV, hepatitis B and C, malaria and syphilis. However, the enforcement of laws in the world’s second-most populous country is often lax.

Speaking with Hindu Chetan Kothari,  an activist informed,  “The government has been slackening on raising AIDS awareness due to budget cuts. Cases like these keep happening over and over again and no action is taken against erring hospitals and blood banks. This is an extremely serious issue, and the government needs to address it urgently."

Here is the list of the States with HIV patients: