Five children test positive for HIV in Madhya Pradesh, India

In India, parents of children with thalassemia say they are devastated after life-saving blood transfusions left their children HIV-positive, confronting them with the disease, social stigma and uncertainty.

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder that requires regular transfusions to manage severe anemia and maintain life.

On Wednesday, authorities in the central state of Madhya Pradesh said five children with thalassemia, aged three to 15, had tested positive for HIV, raising concerns about blood transfusion practices. A commission was created to investigate these cases.

The families are from Satna district. Although the infections were detected during routine screening between January and May 2025, they attracted greater attention after local media reports earlier this week.

The cases follow a similar incident a few weeks earlier in the eastern state of Jharkhand, where five children with thalassemia, all under the age of eight, contracted HIV after blood transfusions at a government hospital.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is spread through unprotected sex, unsafe medical practices, infected blood transfusions, or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

Although it is no longer a death sentence, it requires lifelong management. In India, more than 2.5 million people are living with HIV, with around 66,400 new infections each year. More than 1.6 million people are receiving lifelong treatment at antiretroviral therapy (ART) centers, according to government data.

Satna district collector Satish Kumar S said the five children received blood transfusions at different places, involving multiple donors.

Health officials said these included public hospitals and private clinics, and all children were now receiving treatment.

In one case, authorities said both parents of a three-year-old child were HIV-positive. In the other cases, the parents tested negative, thus excluding mother-to-child transmission.

Satna chief medical officer Manoj Shukla said children who have undergone multiple transfusions are considered high risk and are regularly screened for HIV.

“Once detected, treatment was immediately started and continues. Currently, the children are stable,” he said.

Every unit of blood issued by the district hospital blood bank is tested as per government protocol and is released only after a negative report, says Dr Shukla.

However, in rare cases, blood donors who are in the early stages of HIV infection may go undetected during initial screenings but test positive later, he adds.

Cases of thalassemia patients contracting HIV during treatment are not new in India.

In October, after similar incidents in Jharkhand, authorities suspended a laboratory assistant, the doctor in charge of the HIV unit and the chief surgeon of the affected government hospital.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren also announced assistance of 200,000 rupees ($2,212; £1,655) for each affected family.

In 2011, authorities in Gujarat launched an investigation after 23 children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV following regular blood transfusions at a government hospital.

Last week, thalassemia patients urged India’s parliament to pass the National Blood Transfusion Bill 2025, saying it would strengthen regulations on blood collection, testing and transfusions.

Activists, including patients who contracted HIV through unsafe transfusions, called the bill a long-awaited step toward safer, quality-assured blood for those who rely on frequent transfusions.

In India, where access to health care can be limited, particularly in rural areas and small towns, families of HIV-infected children in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are deeply concerned.

“My daughter was already suffering from thalassemia. Now she has contracted HIV, all thanks to the pathetic medical facilities in Madhya Pradesh,” said a father whose child is among those affected.

Another parent said her child suffered side effects from HIV drugs, including vomiting and constant fatigue.

In India, HIV still carries strong social stigma, often leading to discrimination. In Jharkhand, the family of a seven-year-old boy was forced to leave the house they were renting after the landlord learned of the child’s HIV status, the father told the BBC.

“I tried to convince them a lot, but they remained adamant that the house should be vacated. So I had to return to my village, about 27 km away. [17 miles] “said the father, who is a farmer.

“In the village, not only does my son struggle to get better health services, but he is also deprived of a good education.”

Additional reporting by Mohammad Sartaj Alam in Jharkhand

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