Re: Warangal: Controversy over - blood transfusion/HIV- minor girl's death

[Guest guest]

Colleagues,

Re: /message/9341

A recent article in the Times of India reports a tragic unexplained HIV

infection in a child with HIV-negative parents. The article reports speculation

that the infection may have come from recent blood transfusions or from prior

treatment.

In a situation like this, answers are possible. The press should not let the

matter drop.

 

The child received blood from two blood banks. In other countries (but not

India), it has been standard practice to trace and retest the specific donors

involved, to see if maybe the blood bank made some mistake. If a donor is

HIV-positive, there's the answer.

 

If no donor is HIV-positive, the infection must have come from another source.

To find that source, reporters can ask around in the community to see if there

are other unexplained HIV infections.

Ask doctors, counselors. Appeal for readers to come forward with their own

stories. Doctors and counselors can report unexplained infections without giving

names. Reporters can write about them without violating anyone's

confidentiality.

Why investigate unexplained HIV infections? One reason is to find answers for

people who are hurt. But there are several community interests as well:

(a) All people in India who are HIV-positive face stigma. One way to fight

stigma is to educate the public that an HIV infection is not a reliable sign of

sexual or IDU behaviors -- ie, that an unknown but large number of infections in

India have come from blood exposures during medical injections, tattooing, and

other health care and cosmetic services.

( People who are HIV-negative are at risk when no one traces and stops the

unsafe practices that led to unexplained infections.

When no one investigates unexplained infections, clinics with unsafe practices

can continue to pump HIV into the community.

 

Reporters who are interested to follow up unexplained infections can go the web

to learn about investigations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Russia, and

Romania that found health care infecting scores to thousands of children with

HIV.

 

Best regards,

e-mail: <david_gisselquist@...>