As many as 14 children undergoing treatment for thalassemia (a blood disorder) have reportedly contracted HIV, Hepatatis infections at a local hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district.
According to Hindustan Times, the incident came to fore on October 23 at the government-run Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital. It was found that the blood transfused into children aged between 6 and16 years was infected. They had come from various parts of the state including Kanpur city, Etawah and Kannauj.
Head of the paediatrics department Dr Arun Arya said the incident could have happened during the ‘window’ period. When blood is donated, it is tested for any possible virus or pathogen. A window period is a small time frame where the virus or the pathogen can go unnoticed in the infected donor’s blood.
“This seems to be the case,” said Arya adding, “The children are already battling a serious issue and are now at a greater health risk.”
No HIV since 2019, claims principal
However, the principal of GSVM Medical College Sanjay Kala, while speaking to reporters, refuted the claims that 14 children have been infected.
“The college received two cases of HIV – one in 2014 and another in 2019. The government has recommended disciplinary action against Dr Arun Arya for making statements leading to confusion,” he said.
Congress hits out at BJP
Meanwhile, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, October 25, lashed out at the BJP government in UP saying that the “innocent children are suffering the punishment for an unforgivable crime” of the saffron party.
“The double-engine government has made our health system doubly sick. In a government hospital in Kanpur, UP, infected blood was given to 14 children suffering from thalassemia, due to which these children got serious diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. This serious negligence is shameful,” Kharge wrote on X.
