In Bengaluru nearly all of the 200-plus blood banks in the state are following the conventional serology testing method to detect HIV virus in blood samples, doctors say that a tragedy like the recent one in Tamil Nadu, where an HIV-positive donor’s blood was transfused to, and infected, a pregnant woman, could happen any time in Karnataka. Doctor and retired blood bank officer at KIMS Hospital stated that sophisticated, expensive tests are needed to detect such infections. He added that blood donors may not be aware that they are carriers of infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatitis C virus (HCV) when they donate.
Therefore, if the blood unit is not adequately tested, there is a high likelihood of infecting the recipients. Private blood banks claim that cases like the recent one in Tamil Nadu have happened earlier in Karnataka too, and suggest that they can be…
