Many blood transfusion samples infected with Hepatitis B and C, say medicos

Doctors face difficulty in informing people and spreading message on hepatitis infection

According to the data received by the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), in the last three years more than 14,000 blood units were discarded because the blood collected during blood donation camp, were infected with hepatitis B and C. The doctors said that after examining the blood samples they learnt some units of blood is infected and they are not able to contact the person whose blood was infected with Hepatitis B and C.

The doctors say the reason for this alarming goof up is because most often donors giving blood at these camps provide wrong information of themselves. After the pathology laboratories and doctors call back to give information on their blood reports, there is always a confusion because of the wrong information was given by donors.

“We do not know the actual whereabouts of many people who have donated blood. Often the information given by them is not correct. Only after the blood is examined do we come to know if it is infected with hepatitis B and C or not. Then to call and trace them has been our biggest obstacle,” said Dr Shrilaka Acharya, Director of MDACS.

The health experts said that the symptoms of hepatitis are not easily identified, due to which individual does not know whether he is affected with hepatitis or no. “People are unaware of the hepatitis symptoms which they come to know of the test reports. HIV, Hepatitis B, and C can be spread to a human in four ways which include contaminated needles, blood transfusion, sexual intercourse and from mother to child,” added senior health official.

Wrong information given during blood donation camp, say doctors