HIV-Infected Blood Registered in Hospitals of Central Russia

Text of report by Russian NTV on 6 December

[Presenter] We start our bulletin with news about an emergency situation in Voronezh. It became known that donor blood infected with the AIDS virus had spread in the region’s hospitals. A young woman is the source of the virus, our correspondent said. She was a permanent donor of the Voronezh Region blood transfusion centre. The infected blood was taken to city hospitals. A search for patients to whom the blood was transfused is under way in the region.

It was officially confirmed that the infected plasma had been transfused to the woman in a maternity hospital. The HIV-infected donor has donated blood eight times within six months, the regional public health directorate said. She did so last time in May, when it transpired that the donated blood was infected. This information became known to the public only now.

[Vladimir Borodin, head of department of the main public health directorate of Voronezh Region] I do not know, all tests were negative. The difficulty is that in the seronegative period it is impossible to detect HIV in laboratory conditions. In fact, this permanent donor has donated blood eight times over the last six months. Last time she donated blood in April and twice in May.

One sample of the plasmas was sent to a maternity hospital. A woman had given birth before the infected plasma was transfused. The baby is fine. The woman is under medical supervision. As far as she is concerned, everything is difficult. Anyway, we will monitor her condition.

[Presenter] Interfax news agency said that the donor blood infected with HIV had been transfused to a baby in Voronezh. According to repeated tests of donor blood, HIV was found in one sample, a source in the public health directorate told Interfax. After that a special commission was set up to check what regional medical facilities the infected blood could have been sent to. It turned out that the blood had been given to a baby in a maternity hospital. So far, infectiing the baby with the virus has not been confirmed.