As per the data available on the occurrence of such cases between 2009 and 2012, in different states across the country, mentioned in the Parliament recently, the number of people infected with HIV through blood transfusions in Andhra Pradesh was allegedly amongst the highest in India.
In the recent past, instances of transfusion of HIV-infected blood were widely reported from Nellore and Warangal.
Amongst the southern states, Tamil Nadu did not report any case, while Karnataka recorded 100 such cases more than AP during the same period. Activists working with the people with HIV say the high numbers can be attributed to the demand-supply gap for safe blood. Voluntary blood donations rates are not high while blood banks peddle infected blood, they said. The failure of the government to rein in such malpractices only makes matters worse.
In May, this year, an 18-month-old baby Kavya, was detected with HIV AIDS, which doctors suspect occurred from an infected blood transfusion. The news made national headlines, highlighting negligence on the part of authorities.
Narendra Revelli of Centre for Advocacy and Research who has been working for a decade with the AP State Aids Control Society (APSACS) blames private blood banks. "It is mandatory to check blood for HIV before it is banked. However, owing to the supply shortage, unauthorized blood banks do not discard infected blood even if it tests HIV-positive. There is no possibility of infection if blood is checked and banked properly," he said.
