ISLAMABAD: Ten Pakistani children have been infected with HIV after receiving tainted blood transfusions, officials said yesterday, in a “shocking” case highlighting the abysmal state of blood screening in the country.
The children, aged five to 16, all suffer from the hereditary blood disorder Thalassaemia, which requires patients to undergo regular transfusions.
Saira Afzal Tarar, Minister of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination, slammed the case as “shocking” and promised an investigation. “I have sought reports about the incident and I am also writing to the provincial governments about it,” she said.
While Pakistan has federal and provincial acts of parliament requiring blood screening, implementation is weak. “The people responsible should be punished and punished very severely,” said Javed Akram, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). AFP
