On Friday, the West Bengal health department issued platelet transfusion guidelines to all government and private hospitals. The protocol directed that the platelets should be transfused only when their count dips below 10,000, even if the patient does not have any bleeding.

The expert committee held two consecutive sessions on Thursday and Friday last week. The session was set up for private doctors to discuss treatment and testing protocols for dengue and malaria patients. The experts stated that the guidelines were issued to streamline and rationalize the use of platelets across the state. They added that the protocol is in sync with WHO and GOI guidelines.

The guidelines also asked hospitals to cross-check the blood group of the patients carefully before plasma therapy. Official sources stated that it is a well-known fact that dengue tends to cause thrombocytopenia. Therefore, the new guidelines noted that thrombocytopenia is transient and short-lived, and there is no need to give a repeated platelet transfusion. 

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/policy/west-bengal-health-department-issues-guidelines-on-platelet-transfusion-to-curb-misuse/95618033)