Mumbai: In a shocking revelation through RTI reply, around 1,342 people across India have contacted the HIV infection due to blood transfusion in 2018-2019 reported National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
In 2018-19, Uttar Pradesh has topped the chart with 241 cases, followed by West Bengal (176) and Delhi (172) with Maharashtra accounting for 13% of these cases with 169 infections, TOI reports.
As per the data released by NACO close to a 1000 people in Maharashtra have contracted HIV through the blood transfusion route over the last five years.
Speaking on countrywide statistics, over 7218 have contracted through blood and its products since 2014-2015, the NACO data has revealed.
This data, which is collected from the Integrated Testing and Counselling Centres in HIV clinics, however, has become contentious over the years, with NACO itself questioning its veracity.
“These numbers are self-reported by people at the time of counselling that is done before and after HIV testing,” said Dr Shobhini Rajan, in charge of blood safety, NACO.
Though HIV due to blood transfusion remains “low and negligible” in India the Dr admits that there is no other data set to suggest otherwise as 85,000-1lakh new HIV cases detected in India annually, Maharashtra accounts for around 21,000 cases.
A blood transfusion officer said, “Often crucial steps like taking proper medical history of the donor by a doctor and or testing collected blood units on time so that the results don’t get altered, are not followed in camps.”