Contracting HIV: Children were not infected at CDA run hospital

All transfusions at CDA were carried out after proper screening and as per IBTA guidelines

ISLAMABAD: In the wake of two Islamabad-based children testing positive for HIV in November of last year, ab inquiry has found that they did not contract the virus at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Hospital.

A probe committee of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) also found no trace of infection at the hospital.

CDA Hospital Executive Director Fiaz Lodhi explained on Thursday that a hospital employee identified as Nadeem Tariq Masih is the father of the two children who contracted HIV during blood transfusions.

Lodhi added that a committee was formed to ascertain if the children contracted the disease from the hospital.

However, investigations could not trace the sources of contact of the disease as the blood transfused to the patients had been collected from different sources.

However, the investigation determined that blood transfusions carried out at the CDA hospital were safe and were based on the guidelines of the Islamabad Blood Transfusion Authority, he added.

A record of blood transfusion for both of patients at the hospital showed that one of them had received both blood as well as blood products 27 times, while the other received blood 19 times.

All the blood and blood products transfused had been screened for HIV and other diseases, the committee found.

He said that since birth, the children were suffering from a rare disease, Glanzmann Thrombasthenia, which requires repeated blood transfusions in order to control the disease.

He further said that patients were currently admitted in the Children’s Ward at the CDA Hospital suffering from loose bowels and high fever.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2017.