Five children test positive for HIV in Madhya Pradesh, India

Parents of children with thalassemia in India say they are devastated that life-saving blood transfusions have exposed their children to HIV, leaving them facing illness, social stigma and uncertainty.

Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that requires regular blood transfusions to control severe anemia and maintain life.

Five children with thalassemia aged between 3 and 15 have tested positive for HIV, authorities in Madhya Pradesh said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the practice of blood transfusions. A committee has been set up to investigate the cases.

The families are from Satna district. Although the infections were discovered during routine screenings between January and May 2025, they attracted wider attention after local media reported them earlier this week.

A similar incident occurred a few weeks ago in the eastern state of Jharkhand, where five children aged under eight with thalassemia were found to be infected with HIV after receiving blood transfusions at a public hospital.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is transmitted from mother to child through unprotected sex, unsafe medical practices, infected blood transfusions, or 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 approximately 66,400 new infections every year. More than 1.6 million people receive life-long treatment at antiretroviral treatment (ART) centers, government data show.

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

Health officials said all the children are currently receiving treatment at these facilities, which include government hospitals and private clinics.

In one case, officials said a three-year-old child had both parents who were HIV-positive. In other cases, parents tested negative, ruling out mother-to-child transmission.

Manoj Shukla, Satna’s chief medical and health officer, said children who have received multiple blood transfusions are considered high-risk and are regularly screened for HIV.

“Once discovered, treatment was started immediately and continued. Currently, the children are in stable condition,” he said.

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

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

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

In October, following a similar incident in Jharkhand, authorities suspended a laboratory assistant, the doctor in charge of the HIV unit and the chief surgeon of the state-run hospital involved.

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

In 2011, the authorities gujarat A survey was conducted after 23 children with thalassemia tested positive for HIV after receiving regular blood transfusions at a public hospital.

Last week, thalassemia patients urged the Indian Parliament to pass the National Blood Transfusion Bill 2025, saying the bill would strengthen regulation of blood collection, testing and transfusion.

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

In India, where health services are limited, especially in rural areas and small towns, families of children living with HIV in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are deeply worried.

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

Another parent said their child was struggling with side effects of HIV medication, including vomiting and constant fatigue.

HIV still carries a strong social stigma in India, often leading to discrimination. In Jharkhand state, the father of a seven-year-old boy told the BBC that his family was forced to leave their rented home after the landlord learned that the child was infected with HIV.

“I tried to convince them a lot, but they still insisted on vacating the house. So, I had to return to the village about 27 kilometers (17 miles) away,” said the farmer father.

“Not only did my son not have access to better medical facilities in the village, he was also deprived of a good education.”

Additional reporting by Mohammad Sartaj Alam in Jharkhand

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