Five children suffering from thalassemia have tested HIV-positive in Jharkhand&rsquo;s Chaibasa town, officials said on Saturday. 
The revelation came during an investigation by a five-member medical team from Ranchi, taking the total number of affected minors to five.
The development follows allegations by the family of a seven-year-old thalassemia patient that HIV-infected blood had been transfused at the local blood bank in Chaibasa. 
In response, the state government swiftly formed a probe committee to determine how the child received contaminated blood.
Officials revealed that around 25 units of blood had been transfused to the child since treatment began. 
However, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee stated that the child had tested HIV-positive more than a week earlier and noted that HIV transmission can also result from other factors such as contaminated needles.
The investigation team, led by Dr. Dinesh Kumar, Director of Health Services, Jharkhand, inspected the Sadar Hospital blood bank and the pediatric intensive care unit. 
The team collected information from the under-treatment children and reviewed hospital records.
Dr. Kumar said that preliminary findings indicated a thalassemia patient may have received contaminated blood. 
&ldquo;Some discrepancies were detected in the blood bank during the investigation, and officials have been directed to address them immediately,&rdquo; he said.
Currently, West Singhbhum district reports 515 HIV-positive cases and 56 thalassemia patients.
The probe team includes Dr. Shipra Das, Dr. S.S. Paswan, Dr. Bhagat, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Sushanto Majhee, Dr. Shivcharan Hansda, and Dr. Minu Kumari.

Doctors examining blood samples in hospital lab

Investigation in Chaibasa reveals HIV infection after blood transfusions in 5 children

5 Thalassemia Children Test HIV-Positive

Investigation in Chaibasa reveals HIV infection after blood transfusions in 5 children

October 26, 2025 | 10:15 IST