Related News
Blood transfusions 'dangerous,' says Health Ministry
By Wang Xiang |
April 14, 2010, Wednesday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
BLOOD transfusions are dangerous and should be avoided whenever possible, a top Chinese health heath official warned today, citing inevitable loopholes in blood screening against diseases.
HIV tests were not available for blood donated before 1995 in China, and many other diseases such as hepatitis and syphilis, had an incubation period that could fool the most accurate test, Zhao Minggang, an official with the Ministry of Health, said in a press conference yesterday.
Zhao said blood transfusions should be avoided unless it was really necessary, adding that many people took them as a tonic.
Medical staff should make patients more aware of the risks, Zhao said.
In January, a scandal was revealed after 12 years when at least 80 AIDS patients in central China's Hubei Province were found to have been infected with HIV through tainted blood.
All the patients received blood transfusions during surgery at Daye No.2 Hospital in the province between 1996 and 1997.
They were infected because part of the hospital's blood storage was unknowingly taken from HIV-infected illegal blood sellers, Xu Chunyang, vice head of the hospital, said, according to an earlier report.
The spread of AIDS and syphilis is on the rise in China. A previous report quoting the World Health Organization said 72 percent of new HIV carriers contracted the virus from sex.
HIV tests were not available for blood donated before 1995 in China, and many other diseases such as hepatitis and syphilis, had an incubation period that could fool the most accurate test, Zhao Minggang, an official with the Ministry of Health, said in a press conference yesterday.
Zhao said blood transfusions should be avoided unless it was really necessary, adding that many people took them as a tonic.
Medical staff should make patients more aware of the risks, Zhao said.
In January, a scandal was revealed after 12 years when at least 80 AIDS patients in central China's Hubei Province were found to have been infected with HIV through tainted blood.
All the patients received blood transfusions during surgery at Daye No.2 Hospital in the province between 1996 and 1997.
They were infected because part of the hospital's blood storage was unknowingly taken from HIV-infected illegal blood sellers, Xu Chunyang, vice head of the hospital, said, according to an earlier report.
The spread of AIDS and syphilis is on the rise in China. A previous report quoting the World Health Organization said 72 percent of new HIV carriers contracted the virus from sex.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
