A 24-year-old pregnant woman was tested positive for HIV after being given a blood transfusion at a government hospital in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. The HIV positive blood was donated by a young man on November 30 and was given to the woman on December 3 after technicians at a government blood bank laboratory found nothing wrong in his tests.
The man went for a subsequent test to a private clinic where he was tested positive for HIV. He had his tests done from the private lab to get his blood tested for applying for a job abroad. However, by the time he could alert the hospital, the blood had already been administered to the woman.
Three lab workers have been suspended for their negligence in conducting the tests. The affected woman has lodged a complaint with police, seeking action against hospital staff.
The woman has been put on anti-retroviral treatment because doctors say that instant detection gives her a chance to live a longer life. But the family now has to wait till she delivers her baby to find out if the baby too has been infected with HIV.