Kerala demands advanced blood bank screening after HIV reports

Patient groups in Kerala have urged the Union health ministry to install advanced screening systems in government and private blood banks, citing reports of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C spreading among college students in parts of the country. The Blood Patients Protection Council, led by president Kareem Karassery, said many blood banks still lack nucleic acid testing (NAT) technology that can detect infections during the window period.

The demand follows reports from Karnataka where the number of HIV-infected people in the 18-35 age group rose from 44,500 in 2023-24 to 66,600 by 2025-26, according to the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society. Over 7,000 young people aged 18-25 in Karnataka have been diagnosed with HIV. The Collegiate Education Department and Visvesvaraya Technological University have since started integrated health camps for HIV testing and counselling in colleges.

In a letter to Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Mr. Karassery said patients who need lifelong transfusions are a vulnerable group. He urged a nationwide awareness campaign on blood-borne infections, inclusion of the topic in higher secondary curriculum, NAT facilities in all blood banks, and a national policy for financial compensation and lifelong care for patients infected through transfusions.