HIV-Positive Man, whose blood infected Pregnant Woman, dies

Mangalore Today News Network

Chennai, Dec 31, 2018 : A 19-year-old HIV-positive man, who had consumed poison after his blood had infected a pregnant woman in Tamil Nadu, died on Sunday reported NDTV.

 

The man was rescued after he had consumed rat poison at his home in Ramanathapuram district a few days ago. He was shifted to the Madurai Rajaji Government Medical College Hospital where he died of Gastro Intestinal (GI) bleeding.

"He was in critical condition and under observation for two days. Suddenly, he had internal bleeding this morning. We continued the necessary treatment but he died this morning," Dr S Shanmugasundaram, dean in charge, told NDTV.

The teenager was unaware of the infection when he had donated blood in November. The test by the government blood bank at Sivakasi had found him to be HIV negative. However, the blood he had donated in 2016 at a private blood donation camp was found to be HIV infected. The counsellors there neither informed nor blacklisted him.

In fact, he himself alerted the officials about his infection after a private laboratory found him to be HIV positive during a medical test for an overseas job. His doctors then traced the pregnant woman who was given his blood and found her infected too.

She’s being given antiretroviral treatment in Madurai. The HIV status of her baby would be known only after birth.

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered a probe after suspending two lab technicians and a counsellor. Authorities suspect the technician who claims to have tested him in November did not run the test.