Nagpur : The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has begun initial inquiry at blood banks in the city after cases of three thalassaemia major children getting infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), most likely from the blood they received during regular transfusion process, came to fore.
The inquiry is not likely to reveal anything significant, officials told TOI on condition of anonymity. “We have limited scope. We can only get information from blood banks and send it to the health department. We can’t take any action against them for providing infected blood,” the official said.
Two thalassaemia children from Nagpur and one from Amravati were detected HIV positive in the last few months. These patients were on blood transfusion therapy and were regular receivers of blood as part of their treatment. On May 8, TOI Nagpur was the first to report this issue along with the probable solution suggested by experts in the field.
Following the TOI report, state health minister Rajesh Tope had assured investigation in the matter. The health minister had said, “We will investigate the matter in detail and those at fault will be punished.
Sources in blood banks told TOI that it’s not mandatory for them to conduct the Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) test on blood, which is considered as the gold standard for transfusion patients. “We conduct the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. It’s not always accurate. But we can’t be prosecuted for this,” said medical director of a blood bank.
ELISA test cannot detect HIV within 60 days after the blood donor contracts the infection. This is called the window period. The NAT test can detect the infection within seven days. So, it’s considered the most accurate. But it’s a costly test.
The NAT facility is available only in three private blood banks in Nagpur. No blood bank attached to any government hospital in Vidarbha has this facility. Most thalassaemia patients come from poor family backgrounds and are dependent on free blood supply from the government blood banks. So, they are always at risk.
“The only solution to this issue is to make NAT-tested blood mandatory for all blood banks. Private banks having this facility charge additionally for this test. Government must intervene in this matter and provide additional expenses to the patients for this test,” said Dr Vinky Rughwani, director of Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre.
Dr Rughwani said at least five thalassaemia children were infected with Hepatitis C while two children were reportedly infected with Hepatitis B. “Many such cases go unreported too,” he said.
