A 23-year-old woman, who contracted HIV at a government hospital in Sattur, Virudhunagar district after undergoing blood transfusion, delivered a baby girl in Madurai on Thursday.
The woman, who delivered during her 38th week of pregnancy, is healthy and had a normal delivery, said S. Shanmugasundaram, Dean (in-charge), Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH). “This is a term pregnancy and both the mother and the baby are fine. The mother delivered the child at around 7 p.m. The child is currently being treated at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit” he said.
Dr. Shanmugasundaram told the media that a Polymerised Chain Reaction test and a blood test to detect traces of HIV on the child’s blood will be conducted. He added that the mother was receiving antiviral medication.