Satna HIV Case Shocks MP: 6 Thalassemia Children Infected After Blood Transfusion

Satna HIV Case Shocks MP: Before the year comes to an end, the recent news of Satna, MP, has created a tense and fearful atmosphere due to the astonishing latest breaking news. On 16 December, in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jila Chikitsalaya, six young children who were just 15 years below in age got diagnosed with HIV and became the innocent victims of around 350 donors.

Unveiling the Breaking News in Detail

There is a Madhya Pradesh government hospital established in Satna, namely Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Jila Chikitsalaya. In this govt. hospital six children along with their parents, used to visit regularly to be the recipient of blood. Those six children were battling with the disorder of thalassemia due to which they required a sufficient amount of blood at regular intervals so they used to undergo blood transfusion to stay fit but instead it resulted into a bigger problem of getting diagnosed with HIV infection.

What is the cruel disorder Thalassemia?

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder. In thalassemia, the body is affected with producing less amount of haemoglobin and healthy red blood cells, those red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissue, but due to the fewer and smaller red blood cells, the oxygen is not carried out, which results in anaemia. Anaemia leads to the feeling of fatigue, weakness and tiredness.

What is the incurable virus HIV?

HIV is a Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This virus directly attacks the immune system of the human body. When human immunodeficiency virus enters the body so primarily this virus makes their target to white blood cells. White blood cells are cells of the immune system which develop in the bone marrow and these cells protect the body from any causing infection or disease. After targeting the white blood cells, the immune system becomes weak. There is no such cure for HIV and the last stage of HIV leads to AIDS. AIDS is Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, this last stage occurs when the immune system is badly damaged because of the HIV.

350 Donors under Suspect

The District Collector and Magistrate of Satna, Madhya Pradesh, that is, Shri Satish Kumar, began to oversee the case by himself and he undertook some important steps to go through this case in detail. He established investigation committees such as an internal investigation as well as a state-level investigation only to find out the reason causing this case and to determine the source of infection. The in-depth investigation has kept all the 350 donors under scrutiny and they are getting screened to find out who all donors were already infected by HIV.

Younger Lives at Risk

The innocent lives of younger children are at dangerous risk as they got infected with HIVat such an early age. Those children came to the hospital in awe of getting blood transfused but this blood transfusion turned into a horrifying moment for them because along with battling thalassemia, they now have to battle with HIV as well. The hospital is at fault here because if the hospital staff had made sure the proper check-up of blood donors before blood collection, then this mistake would have been avoided.

Families Demand Accountability

The families of the children whose lives are at risk now, the parents of those young thalassemic children are now demanding accountability from the hospital and government as well. Since their parents and families believed that this is a government hospital so surely this can be a trusted one but obviously they weren’t expecting this to happen with their young children. In fact some sources claim that one of the parents of those six children got infected too with the virus. Although, the government has assured the parents that all the records are being traced currently and the source will be identified soon.

This news is a wake-up call for the health authorities, government and government hospitals to remind them that a minor healthcare negligence can cause a major health issue. This news is also a wake up call for the common people as well to be careful from next time to prevent putting anyone’s life at risk.

Read More: What if an HIV positive woman becomes pregnant?