There have been no cases of HIV-infected blood transfusion to patients with Thalassemia in recent years, said Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, head of the Iran Blood Transfusion Organization. Thalassemia patients receive regular blood transfusions which is the only treatment for them to live relatively normal lives. “All donated blood units go through screening for the virus, and no instances of HIV-infected blood have been reported,” he said, quoted by IRNA. Currently, the average blood donation rate (donation per 1000 population) stands at 27, which is nearly twice the rate in other developing countries.
