Kanpur: 14 thalassaemic children tested positive for Hepatitis B, C, and HIV following a blood transfusion after screening at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital.

Dr. Sanjay Kala, principal of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, has dismissed the claims made in the report. In a press conference, he denied all the allegations made by Dr. Arun Arya, Head of the Paediatrics Department at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, and stated that the hospital has not reported any HIV, Hepatitis B, or Hepatitis C infections in thalassemia patients since 2019. Investigations have been ordered against Dr. Arun for making such claims.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Dr. Arun claimed that 14 children aged between 6 and 16 years were found infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV after a blood transfusion, which took place during the window period. He acknowledged that the infected children now face a greater health risk in addition to thalassemia. He further added that they had referred the hepatitis patients to the gastroenterology department and the HIV patients to the referral center in Kanpur.

Seven were found positive for hepatitis B, five for hepatitis C, and two for HIV among the infected children. These children were being treated at various facilities before their screening was done at LLRH.

Dr. Arun further stated that the children were vaccinated against Hepatitis B at the time of transfusion.

Children were from different parts of the state, including Kanpur, Kannauj, Dehat, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, and Etawah.

In a press release, college officials released a statement saying that the claims made by Dr. Arun were "baseless and unauthorized."

The tragic event led to a political row in the state.

Highlighting the negligence as highly "shameful," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remarked on X that the "double engine" government has made our health system "double sick."

The term "double engine" government is frequently used by BJP leaders in their poll campaigns to signify the twin advantage of having a BJP government at both the state and the center levels.

The Congress chief added, "Innocent children are facing punishment for this unforgivable crime of the BJP government."

Officers from the National Health Mission said that district-level officials will try to find out the cause of infection under the Viral Hepatitis Control Programme.

An official from the state said that they will look for the place of infection, both for hepatitis and HIV.

(Input from various media sources)

(Rehash/Dr. Shelja Chauhan)