Jharkhand: A five-member medical team from Ranchi on Saturday visited Chaibasa, the headquarters of Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, to investigate allegations that HIV-infected blood was transfused to a seven-year-old thalassaemia patient by a local blood bank, a senior health official said.

District Civil Surgeon Dr Sushanto Majhee told PTI that the child had tested HIV-positive over a week ago. The government-appointed probe team inspected the Sadar Hospital and the blood bank in Chaibasa as part of its investigation, he added.

Majhee declined to share further details, saying the probe was still underway. He also did not specify who was leading the team.

The case came to light on Friday after the child’s family alleged that contaminated blood from the Chaibasa blood bank had been used for transfusion. The child had reportedly received around 25 units of blood since beginning treatment there.

Following the allegations, a three-member local committee led by District Reproductive and Child Health (DRCH) Officer Dr Minu Kumari was formed to conduct an initial inquiry. The committee is expected to submit its report shortly.

Majhee said that blood donors whose samples were used for the child’s transfusions would also be examined before any conclusions are drawn. “The boy, who hails from a rural area under Manjhari police station limits, has tested HIV-positive. However, it would be premature to state that the infection resulted from blood supplied by the bank,” he said, adding that other sources, such as exposure to contaminated needles, could not be ruled out.

Meanwhile, during further investigation on Saturday, four more children with thalassaemia in Chaibasa were found to be HIV-positive, bringing the total number of affected minors to five.

The development comes a day after the state government ordered an inquiry into the suspected transfusion of infected blood.

The probe team, led by Jharkhand Director of Health Services Dr Dinesh Kumar, inspected the Sadar Hospital blood bank and the paediatric intensive care unit, collecting details from children under treatment.

“Initial investigation indicates that contaminated blood was transfused to a thalassemia patient. Some discrepancies were detected in the blood bank during the probe, and the officials concerned have been directed to resolve them,” Dr Kumar said.

According to officials, West Singhbhum district currently has 515 HIV-positive cases and 56 patients with thalassaemia.

The probe panel includes Dr Kumar, Dr Shipra Das, Dr S S Paswan, Dr Bhagat, Dr Sushanto Majhee, Dr Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr Minu Kumari. 

PTI inputs