Contaminated blood makes 54 AIDS patients ( 2003-12-02 14:34) (China Daily)
Contaminated blood products remain one of the major channels for spreading
HIV/AIDS in Shanghai, and at least 54 local hemophilia patients have been
diagnosed with the deadly virus after coming in contact with contaminated blood.
To help these victims, the local government has provided free medical
treatment and a monthly subsidy of 1,000 yuan (US$121.07) since 2002.
According to the latest statistics from the city's Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control, 6.5 per cent of Shanghai's 886 HIV carriers and AIDS
patients contracted the virus via contaminated blood products.
Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder caused by a clotting deficiency, and
supplying the coagulation factor is the main treatment for the disease.
Local hemophilia patients suspected they were infected with HIV after using
the eighth blood coagulation factor produced by Shanghai Bioproducts Research
Centre, the nation's major blood product producer.
In China all blood products, including the coagulation factor, were treated
with deactivation technology until July 1995 when the Ministry of Health forbad
the technology because it failed to kill the HIV virus.
Hemophilia patient Taotao was the first reported AIDS victim in 1998 and died
two years later at the age of 15.
According to Wu Zhongze, Taotao's father, a total of 11 hemophilia patients
have died but they didn't receive an HIV test before death.
Since 2000, hemophilia patients and their family members have struggled to
obtain compensation and better medical treatment.
"It's very hard to bring these cases to court; for a period of time local
courts didn't accept such cases," said a local lawyer who requested anonymity.
After three years the Changning District Intermediate Court ruled that Wu
qualified for 100,000 yuan (US$1,210) as compensation for his son's death.
