Cuttack, Sept. 9: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to file a status report on steps taken to ensure screening of blood through polymer chain reaction (PCR) method at all the blood banks of the state for detection of HIV infection.

The government is expected to file an affidavit by September 12.

A public interest litigation (PIL) has expressed concern that “people in Odisha are being exposed to fatal risk of getting HIV infection during blood transfusion as all the 57 blood banks run by the state government and Red Cross Society lack the facility”.

The PIL alleged that the Odisha government was yet to implement a high court order to ensure PCR method facility in all the blood banks to identify HIV virus during “window period”.

The three-month span following the infection of an individual to develop detectable antibodies is called “window period”.

The order was issued on July 28, 2011, while adjudicating on the case of a 17-month-old after receiving blood from Municipal Hospital in Bhubaneswar, the petition said.

Acting on the PIL, the court had on July 19 issued notices to the state government to file a response within two weeks. But the government did not respond. Instead, the state counsel sought more time on September 5.

“The two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice S.K. Mishra has posted the matter for hearing along with the state government’s reply,” advocate-petitioner Prabir Kumar Das told The Telegraph.

“The state counsel sought two weeks to file the reply. The court, however, allowed a week’s time,” Das said.

According to the petition, 57 blood banks run by the Odisha government and Red Cross Society are supplying blood without conducting the antigen test through the PCR method.

Without the special antigen test through the PCR method, the virus cannot be identified. The PCR method, which is already being adopted by many states, significantly reduces the chance of contamination and increases safety of blood transfusion, the PIL contended.

The issue of screening blood in blood banks had recently figured in the Assembly. Raising a motion, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan wanted to know what steps the government had taken in to detect instances of infected blood by the banks.

During an adjournment motion, health minister Damodar Rout announced on September 1 that the government had decided to introduce nucleic acid amplification test in polymer chain reaction method at the three government-run medical college hospitals and the Capital Hospital in the first phase. The method will be introduced at other places in a phased manner, the minister said.