Thalassaemia patient case: 14 blood donors to take HIV tests

HYDERABAD: It may not be long before the police would zero in on the HIV patient or patients who donated blood to a three-year-old thalassaemia patient, endangering his life.According to reliable sources, the police have shortlisted 14 donors who donated blood to the three-year-old between January and July 2022. The police suspect that among them might be one or more HIV patients whose blood had turned the tiny tot into an HIV victim. The blood was donated to the three-year-old from a blood bank run by the Red Cross.

The condition of the victim at present is stable but the doctors have to continue blood transfusion to him at regular intervals and also administer HIV medication. Police are also investigating other possibilities of the baby contracting HIV. As part of the investigation, police would also probe possible negligence by the blood bank in allowing infected blood to be transfused. They have sought medical expertise and asked for the records of all the donors who donated blood to the thalassaemia patient.

Further, police who have the names and contact details of the 14 suspected HIV blood donors, are likely to telephone them asking them to undergo required blood tests.Police who sought medical opinion stated that the donor who donated blood that was HIV infected can only be detected after eight weeks. “We will initiate legal proceedings against those donors who would not appear for blood screening,” said Nallakunta Inspector Mogilicharla Ravi.

Police are exploring the possibility of how the suspected donor surpassed the initial blood transfusion protocols. Police were informed by the medical experts that there will be an eight-week window (virus incubation period) immediately after a person contracts HIV to test positive.

Red Cross launches internal investigation
Nallakunta police registered a case against the Red Cross under Section 338 of IPC. The Indian Red Cross Society is also conducting an internal investigation into this issue