Fourteen children who received blood transfusions have tested positive for infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, doctors at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur said on Monday, admitting that the minors had thalassemia, which required blood transfusions. People now face greater risks. First place.
The incident was reported at the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital, where officials said the problem may be that procedural virus testing of donated blood was ineffective, although the source of the infection itself may be difficult to pinpoint.
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Dr Arun Arya, director of paediatrics at LLR and nodal officer at the centre, said this is cause for concern and shows the risks of blood transfusion. “We have referred hepatitis patients to the gastroenterology department and HIV patients to the referral center in Kanpur,” he said, adding that HIV infection was a particular concern.
Currently, 180 thalassemia patients receive blood transfusions at the center, and each patient is screened for viral diseases every six months. The 14 children received transfusions at private and district hospitals and sometimes locally when urgently needed.
Arya said the blood transfusion was done during the window period. “It appears to be the case … that children who are already battling a serious problem are now at greater risk to their health,” he said.
According to him, when someone donates blood, the blood is tested to ensure it is safe for use. However, there is a period of time after infection when tests cannot detect the virus, known as the “window period.”
“Doctors should also vaccinate children against hepatitis B at the time of blood transfusion,” he added.
Among the 180 patients were 14 children aged 6 to 16 years.
Of the infected children, seven tested positive for hepatitis B, five tested positive for hepatitis C and two tested positive for HIV, Arya said.
The children come from different parts of the state, including Kanpur city, Dehat, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Etawah and Kannauj.
“The district-level officials will trace the source of infection as per the viral hepatitis control plan. The team will look for the places of infection of hepatitis and HIV,” said a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh State Health Corps, who did not want to be named.