13 children get HIV infected through blood transfusion

[Guest guest]

[interestingly, the original title of the news paper article is as follows (?).

Perhaps the Asian Age journalists should go for an " AIDS awareness " session. 13

children get HIV infected through blood transfusion. Any legal action aganist

the Bood Bank? Moderator]

13 children get AIDS after HIV infection

The Asian Age March 6, 2002

kolkata, March 5: The West Bengal government has ordered an inquiry into the

supply of HIV positive infected blood pouches from the Central Blood Bank.

Thirteen thalassaemia-affected children were infected with the AIDS virus after

transfusion of blood supplied by the bank.

The West Bengal minister of state for health Pratyush Mukherjee on Monday

admitted this and ordered School of Tropical Medicine to investigate how the

blood pouches supplied by the Central Blood Bank were infected with the AIDS

virus.

He, however, added: " It is difficult to detect HIV positive from the collected

blood samples within six months which is the window period. "

He also complained about lack of latest infrastructure and shortage of detection

kits.

" The blood samples are mostly collected from voluntary blood donors and the ban

on professional donors has reduced the possibility of HIV positive and other

infections, " he said.

The blood banks generally examine all the blood samples collected from blood

donation camps, " he said.

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Dr.Jagdish Harsh ( jharsh@... )

Director of Administration and Operations

François-Xavier Bagnoud (INDIA) ( www.fxb.org )

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