Worries Grow Over Contaminated Blood - Korea

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Worries Grow Over Contaminated Blood

By Lee Hyo-sik

Staff Reporter

The circulation of hepatitis-infected blood is again raising public worries

over poor blood management by the Korean Red Cross.

The organization has long been under fire for circulating blood tainted by

hepatitis and other diseases even though blood donated by people with

hepatitis viruses or HIV should be destroyed.

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Monday 17

people received blood infected with hepatitis B and C from 1999 and 2004,

due to inadequate blood screening procedures prior to transfusion.

The number of people who contracted hepatitis through blood transfusion at

hospitals increased to 26 in 2004. The KCDC also found nine individuals

contracted the disease through someone else’s blood.

The latest discovery was made public after the KCDC conducted blood tests on

4,237 people who received blood transfusions during the five-year period.

Following the Board of Audit and Inspection’s discovery in late 2003 the

KNRC had distributed 67,691 contaminated blood samples for human

transfusion, the KCDC began testing from last year to determine how many

have become infected with hepatitis and other diseases.

But the KCDC expects the number of people who contracted hepatitis to be

much higher as 6,123 other recipients refused to give blood samples for the

test.

Of the 17 with hepatitis, five are in their 30s and 40s, three are in their

70s and two in their 60s.

A leukemia patient, 39, identified only as Lee, was infected with hepatitis

B in 2001, after a blood transfusion provided by the KNRC.

Another patient who had limbs severed in 2002 was also found to have

contracted hepatitis B via blood transfusion.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would provide up to a 40 million

won ($42,000) compensation to people infected with hepatitis C through blood

transfusions, while giving a maximum of 30 million won to those with

hepatitis B.

``All reported hepatitis infections occurred before April 2004 when the

so-called ``Blood Formation Management System’’ and the nucleic acid test

went into operation,’’ KCDC Director Oh Dae-kyu said.

Oh said there would not be even a single hepatitis infection case through

blood transfusion in the future as the new measures ensure the safety of the

country’s blood supply.

In early 2004, the KNRC misclassified some 1,205 blood samples tested

positive for hepatitis and AIDS as negative from 1994 to 2003. Among them,

205 have been transfused to patients.

Nine people who had blood transfusion were found to have contracted

hepatitis B and C.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200606/kt2006062017450811960.htm

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[Guest guest]

Worries Grow Over Contaminated Blood

By Lee Hyo-sik

Staff Reporter

The circulation of hepatitis-infected blood is again raising public worries

over poor blood management by the Korean Red Cross.

The organization has long been under fire for circulating blood tainted by

hepatitis and other diseases even though blood donated by people with

hepatitis viruses or HIV should be destroyed.

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said on Monday 17

people received blood infected with hepatitis B and C from 1999 and 2004,

due to inadequate blood screening procedures prior to transfusion.

The number of people who contracted hepatitis through blood transfusion at

hospitals increased to 26 in 2004. The KCDC also found nine individuals

contracted the disease through someone else’s blood.

The latest discovery was made public after the KCDC conducted blood tests on

4,237 people who received blood transfusions during the five-year period.

Following the Board of Audit and Inspection’s discovery in late 2003 the

KNRC had distributed 67,691 contaminated blood samples for human

transfusion, the KCDC began testing from last year to determine how many

have become infected with hepatitis and other diseases.

But the KCDC expects the number of people who contracted hepatitis to be

much higher as 6,123 other recipients refused to give blood samples for the

test.

Of the 17 with hepatitis, five are in their 30s and 40s, three are in their

70s and two in their 60s.

A leukemia patient, 39, identified only as Lee, was infected with hepatitis

B in 2001, after a blood transfusion provided by the KNRC.

Another patient who had limbs severed in 2002 was also found to have

contracted hepatitis B via blood transfusion.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would provide up to a 40 million

won ($42,000) compensation to people infected with hepatitis C through blood

transfusions, while giving a maximum of 30 million won to those with

hepatitis B.

``All reported hepatitis infections occurred before April 2004 when the

so-called ``Blood Formation Management System’’ and the nucleic acid test

went into operation,’’ KCDC Director Oh Dae-kyu said.

Oh said there would not be even a single hepatitis infection case through

blood transfusion in the future as the new measures ensure the safety of the

country’s blood supply.

In early 2004, the KNRC misclassified some 1,205 blood samples tested

positive for hepatitis and AIDS as negative from 1994 to 2003. Among them,

205 have been transfused to patients.

Nine people who had blood transfusion were found to have contracted

hepatitis B and C.

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200606/kt2006062017450811960.htm

_________________________________________________________________

FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now!

http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/