HIV+ misdiagnosis traumatises woman

Kolkata, Feb 19: Yet another HIV blunder on the part of Indian hospitals adds to the cry for better blood screening as a woman, who was diagnosed HIV+ a year ago, was told recently that she does not have the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in her blood after all.

In Jan 2009, 23-year-old Batashi was diagnosed HIV+ by Kolkata"s School of Tropical Medicine when she went for a routine routine blood test.

The married woman was also carrying her first child when she was declared HIV+.

The misdiagnosis not only tore her apart but also subjected her to mental and emotional torture as her in-laws and her husband accused her of being unfaithful.

Amid all this, the woman gave birth to her child in May 2009 and continued to visit Kolkata for check-ups.

On Tuesday, Feb 16, she was shocked and probably even relieved to learn that she was never HIV+.

"I always knew that I couldn"t have contracted the virus. But I had reconciled to my fate after the reports. No one can imagine the trauma I"ve been through. I was ostracized, ridiculed and my marriage was on the rocks. I wasn"t even allowed to breastfeed my baby," she is quoted as saying in media reports.

OneIndia News