HIV+ donor who infected 6 thalassemic kids in MP still untraced, raising concerns

Bhopal: Nearly six months after six thalassemia-affected children in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district tested HIV positive, the hunt for a blood donor likely to have transmitted the virus has turned into a disturbing public health scare, with dozens of linked donors still untraceable and the source donor remaining elusive.Investigators fear if the infected donor remains unidentified, the risk may extend far beyond the six children, raising concerns that the virus could have spread unnoticed through other transfusions as well.After investigators failed to trace the suspected donor for nearly five months, the Madhya Pradesh govt on May 5 constituted a joint task force comprising state-level officials to intensify the search and coordinate the probe across agencies.Health officials prepared a list of 196 people who donated blood during the period when the six children received transfusions. So far, more than 80 donors have been traced and screened, and all have tested HIV negative. But the investigation has now narrowed to a troubling cluster of missing and uncooperative donors that authorities say poses the biggest challenge in cracking the case.Officials said 41 donors remain completely untraceable, as the phone numbers provided in records are either incorrect or no longer functional. Another 15 people contacted by investigators refused to undergo HIV test, claiming they never donated blood.The case has raised alarming questions about gaps in blood donor verification systems and the shadowy network of “replacement donors” that surfaced during earlier investigations. Authorities suspect some donors may have used fake identities, incorrect phone numbers, or proxies, making it difficult to reconstruct the transfusion chain months later.Monal Singh, additional director of MP State AIDS Control Society, said investigators are continuing efforts to trace every donor linked to the transfusions.“Those who are refusing to undergo HIV test, saying that they have not donated blood, may be doing so out of phobia, or their relatives or friends may have donated, giving their numbers. We are in talks with them too. Phone numbers of around 41 were found incorrect. These people still remain untraceable,” she said.“We are in contact with the other donors on the list of those who donated blood during the time when those children received blood — some say they are out of station while some others said they will turn up later for tests. The biggest issue relates to those who are completely untraceable and those who are denying they donated blood at all. So far, more than 80 people have turned up for tests and all have tested negative for HIV. Search for the source donor, which led to infections, is still going on,” Singh said.