Department failed to give go-ahead for HIV testing

The Blood Transfusion Service Board was ready to begin a national screening programme for HIV nine months ago but the Department…

The Blood Transfusion Service Board was ready to begin a national screening programme for HIV nine months ago but the Department of Health has not yet given the go-ahead.

The optional testing programme, for people who received blood products over a five-year period in the early 1980s, was announced by the previous Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, before Christmas, after the BTSB said it was unable to trace certain blood issues which may have been contaminated with HIV. That followed reports that a Co Kilkenny nurse contracted HIV from contaminated blood she received in 1985. She was the first in the State to become infected with HIV following a transfusion.

At that time, Mr Noonan said the programme would begin in January. However, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health said yesterday that the BTSB would "probably" be introducing a screening programme next month. She said information packs would be sent to GPs, and a national advertising campaign would be organised to inform the thousands of people who received blood products between the start of 1981 and April 1986 that they can be tested.

Dr Willy Murphy, medical director of the BTSB, said yesterday that it was very difficult to know how many people would come forward for testing. "Over 70,000 people have been tested for hepatitis C, and it could be the same as that or it could be less."

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He confirmed a report in yesterday's Sunday Tribune that two more hospitals had to recall former patients to be tested for HIV after receiving potentially contaminated blood products. They all tested negative. Dr Murphy said a man donated blood in 1990 and the donation tested positive for HIV. It was discovered he had given a previous donation in 1989.

Two batches had been made from this donation and sent to two Dublin hospitals. At that time, a recipient of red blood cells was contacted by one hospital and tested negative for HIV. When the second hospital attempted to trace the recipient of plasma made from the donation there were 10 possible recipients. It was decided there was no need to search for and screen those who had received the possibly contaminated plasma. Dr Murphy said the matter came to light earlier this year, at the same time as it was discovered that a possibly contaminated batch had been sent to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.

New protocols were introduced at the BTSB earlier this year which led to a review of the decision not to contact the possible recipients. They were contacted by the hospital and all were tested and found to be negative for HIV. Dr Murphy said he did not wish to name the two hospitals involved.

It was revealed last week that 57 children, patients at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in 1990, had been tested after receiving potentially contaminated plasma. Almost all have come forward and tested negative for the virus.