Bengaluru: When nearly all of the 200-plus blood banks in the state are following the conventional serology testing method to detect HIV virus in blood samples, doctors say that a tragedy like the recent one in Tamil Nadu, where an HIV-positive donor’s blood was transfused to, and infected, a pregnant woman, could happen any time in Karnataka.

Dr Venkatesh Prasad, a retired blood bank officer at KIMS Hospital, stated that sophisticated, expensive tests are needed to detect such infections. He added that blood donors may not be aware that they are carriers of infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatits C virus (HCV) when they donate. Therefore, if the blood unit is not adequately tested, there is a high likelihood of infecting the recipients.

Private blood banks claim that cases like the recent one in Tamil Nadu have happened earlier in Karnataka too, and suggest that they can be prevented with sophisticated tests like Individual Donor-Nucleic Acid Testing (ID-NAT).

The ID-NAT facility was started in the state in 2013 but was withdrawn from hospitals in March last year. The government cited its non-viability owing to high costs.

Deputy Director of Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council, D Jayaraju, mentioned that ID-NAT had to be withdrawn as it is costly and not viable. ELISA fourth generation test kits have been sought that have less window period and are good to detect infections. However, they haven’t been received yet.

Harsha G of KVK Blood Bank stated that the blood banks in the city are still following the conventional methods of testing, but tests like NAT or ELISA 4 are the need of the hour as the window period in these new-age tests is less.

The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to call for a status report on blood banks from all states and submit a report within six weeks along with their comments.

According to doctors at blood banks, there is a huge difference between the ID-NAT, conventional type of testing and ELISA 4.

A Bowring Hospital blood bank officer explained that ID-NAT assays can detect HIV-1 within 4.7 days after infection compared to 15 days taken through ELISA (serology). This reduces the risk of infection by 90 per cent, he mentioned. He added that ELISA (serology) takes 58.3 days and 38.3 days to detect HCV and HBV, respectively; however, it can be detected within 2.2 days and 14.9 days, respectively, post-infection using NAT.

Serology tests do not determine infections in its ‘window period’ (time taken by virus to get into body and become reactive).

While the aim is to ensure faster and cheaper availability of blood, private blood banks say that the purpose is lost due to the expenses occurred for these testing facilities.

An officer from Karnataka State Aids Prevention Society stated that an organization or blood bank cannot be forced to get NAT-ID tests done. If the Central Drug Control Department passes an order, people can then be forced for it.