Re: Ahmedabad: Blood transfusion second highest cause for infection

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/10311

In a recent contribution, Ravi B writes from Ahmedabad that several hundred

children aged less than 14 years contracted HIV from blood transfusions in the

past year and a half.

This large number of infected children suggests that something more than window

period transmission is involved. Thus, NAT or PCR tests should not be the only

responses on the table.

 

When someone who receives a blood transfusion is later found to be HIV-positive,

a first step should be to find the person who donated the blood, and then retest

them for HIV.

Although Indian blood banks maintain records linking donors with

recipients, Indian health authorities do not routinely trace and test donors

whose blood is suspected to have infected transfusion recipients.

Tracing and retesting blood donors in such situations is standard in Europe and

the US -- and should be in India. Tracing and retesting can show what went

wrong.

The problem may not be window-period blood. Other possible problems include: The

blood bank kept bad records. The blood was HIV-negative, but the child was

infected from another blood exposure. Etc.

Answers are important to stop HIV transmission -- let's not be satisfied

with suspicions.

 

Furthermore, low risk donors who learn they are HIV-positive on re-testing can

help to identify risks -- because the time of infection can often be narrowed to

a matter of months. Was it unsafe dental care? Other blood or sexual exposure?

 

Best regards,

Gisselquist

e-mail: <david_gisselquist@...>