2,234 contracted HIV after blood transfusion, says NACO

Over 2,000 people have reported to have been infected with HIV while getting blood transfusion in the past 17 months in the country, NACO on Wednesday said, refuting reports, based on its RTI reply, that contaminated blood is spreading the disease as “factually incorrect”. In reply to an RTI query filed by Mumbai-based activist Chetan Kothari, NACO said a total of 2,234 cases involving patients getting infected with HIV while getting blood transfusion were reported across the country within a period of 17 months.

The number is highest for Uttar Pradesh where 361 such cases were reported while Gujarat came second with 292 cases, Maharashtra third with 276 and New Delhi fourth with 264 such cases, Kothari said. Kothari said the actual figure might be “double or triple” of the official data.

“The information provided in response to the RTI query refers to information on self-reported transmission of HIV recorded by counsellors from clients attending Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC). This is further not corroborated by any scientific means to confirm that transmission is indeed due to blood transfusion,” NACO said.

The report indicating that contaminated blood is spreading HIV in India is “factually incorrect” since all blood banks have to mandatorily test all collected blood units for five transmission transmitted infections including HIV, HBV, HCV, Syphilis and Malaria, it said.