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In India, 23 children contracted HIV from blood transfusions
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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At least 23 children have been diagnosed with HIV after receiving blood transfusions at a government hospital in Gujarat, AFP reported. All the affected children suffer from thalassemia, a genetic disorder that often requires blood transfusions.
Free medical care was provided to children from low-income families suffering from thalassemia from January to August this year. The transfusions were carried out at a hospital in the city of Junagadh, located 300 kilometers from Ahmedabad.
In total, about 100 children aged 5 to 12 years received transfusions.
State health officials said authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
Earlier, Gujarat Health Minister Jay Narayan Vyas had suggested that the children were infected with HIV before being admitted to a government health facility.
The parents of the victims indignantly rejected this suggestion. According to them, donor blood was transfused to the children only in a hospital in Gujarat.
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