Five children undergoing treatment for thalassaemia in Chaibasa, West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, have tested positive for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection following blood transfusions, prompting suspension of key health officials and a statewide review of blood-bank procedures.
In the incident at Sadar Hospital, Chaibasa (West Singhbhum district) in Jharkhand, a 7-year-old child with thalassaemia was reported to have received a blood transfusion in early September 2025 and subsequently tested HIV positive on October 18, 2025, when follow-up screening was done. The child's family alerted and lodged a complaint with the state authorities.
The Jharkhand High Court took suo motu case and have ordered a probe on Friday.
On October 25, 2025, a five-member medical team from Ranchi including Dr. Dinesh Kumar (Director of Health Services), Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. S. S. Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, Dr. Meenu Kumari and Dr. Sushanto Kumar Majhee (Civil Surgeon, West Singhbhum) inspected the hospital’s blood-bank and paediatric ICU ward and found that four more children with transfusions had tested HIV positive, bringing the total to five. Discrepancies were found in the blood bank and have been instructed to clear at the earlies.
On October 26, 2025, Hemant Soren (Chief Minister of Jharkhand) announced via a post on X that the state government had ordered the suspension of the district Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Kumar Majhee.
He also announced that each affected family would receive financial assistance of ₹2 lakh, and the state would cover full treatment costs of the children. The government also ordered an audit of all blood banks in the state to be submitted within five days. Further investigations are going on.
Transmission of HIV via blood transfusion remains a concern in India although screening and regulation have improved. For example, data from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) indicate that 1,342 people contracted HIV via transfusion in the year 2018-19.
A similar incident happened in Kanpur two years ago, where 14 children contracted HIV and Hepatitis after Blood Transfusion. The children received transfusions at various private and district hospitals for thalassemia during that incident.
Studies on “transfusion-transmissible infections” (TTIs) among blood donors report HIV prevalence among donors in India at approximately 0.14 % in recent reports, with overall TTI prevalence around 1.58 %.
A 2010 article projected that about 1 per cent of new HIV infections in India around that time were due to blood or blood-products.
To reduce the risk of HIV transmission via transfusion, several safeguards are in place:
Screening all donated blood for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and malaria before transfusion.
Use of donor questionnaires and risk-assessment to defer donors with high-risk behaviour.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products (April 2020; updated August 2020) which identify donor educational material, donor history questionnaires and enhanced testing as key components.
According to the FDA guidance, these combined measures reduced the risk of HIV transmission via transfusion from about 1 in 2,500 units to approximately 1 in 1.47 million transfusions.
In India, despite mandatory screening and regulation, gaps remain: for example, a 2021 study found roughly 66 % of blood-banks reported deficiencies in quality-management systems.
Five children in Jharkhand testing HIV positive following transfusion is a serious adverse event prompting official action, but it also highlights persistent vulnerabilities in the blood-transfusion chain.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration. Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products: Guidance for Industry. April 2020; updated August 2020. Silver Spring, MD: FDA. https://www.fda.gov/media/92490/download.
“India Hospital Transfusions Infect Thousands with HIV.” BBC News, May 31, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-36417789.
(Rh/TL)
