TN man kills self after donating HIV+ blood

CHENNAI :A 19-year-old man who had unintentionally donated HIV positive blood died on Sunday at the Madurai general hospital. He had consumed rat poison on Wednesday after he got to know that his infected blood had been transfused to a pregnant woman at Tamil Nadu’s Sattur Government Hospital.

Police sources at Kamuthi in Ramanathapuram, said that the man, driven by the guilt of having donated HIV infected blood, had consumed the poison.

“He was fine but as he saw news that his blood was transfused to a pregnant lady, he thought he should not live and consumed rat poison,” the 19-year-old donor’s mother said. Immediately after he had consumed the rat poison, his family had rushed him to the Ramanathapuram general hospital from he was shifted to Madurai Rajaji general hospital for treatment on December 27. Doctors at Madurai’s Rajaji Government Hospital, said the youth died on Sunday morning due to bleeding. Dr Shanmuga Sundaram, Dean, Madurai Rajaji Government Hospital, said, “He died around 8am on Sunday due to bleeding complication.” It might be recalled that the 19-year-old man, after getting to know that his blood had tested HIV positive, had informed the authorities of the hospital where he had donated his blood recently.

When the officials tracked the donated blood, they found that it has been transfused to a pregnant woman in Sattur general hospital. The woman was then called back and informed about the issue following which a test had found her to be HIV positive.

The woman is currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Madurai Rajaji general hospital. The doctors said that they have been putting efforts to save the child, that is likely to born in January.