Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Daily Mail and Guardian (Johannesburg) - August 11, 2000
The problem is the window period during which the blood of a newly infected person does not show up as positive on screening tests. Diane de Coning of South African Blood Transfusion says the window period is now about 16 days. Over the past four years there have been four known cases of individuals contracting HIV through blood transfusions.
Western Cape MEC for health Nick Koornhof says the department will do its best to prevent the donation of infected blood and to trace individuals who become infected through blood transfusion. He has promised that state health services will provide HIV/Aids medication for life for anyone who becomes HIV- positive as the result of a blood transfusion.
A Zambian newspaper quotes World Health Organisation representative Dr Edward Maganu as saying that blood transfusion accounts for 10% of worldwide HIV/Aids infections. He said that less than half of African countries have adopted a national blood transfusion policy, while less than a third have implemented policies to limit HIV infection via this route.
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