Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - FRIDAY, November 5, 1993
Larry Thorson, Associated Press
Berlin's health department said yesterday that its hot line is being bombarded with calls, and similar reports came from around a country hit by one of its worst health scandals since World War II.
About 200 Bavarians flooded the Munich health department with calls yesterday. "People are terribly afraid," said Munich health spokeswoman Edith von Loeffelholz. "Anything concerning blood is scaring people."
Magdeburg in eastern Germany reported quadrupled demand for AIDS tests. Health departments in northern Schleswig-Holstein said demand is doubling or tripling in various cities.
The recent scare is the latest in Germany's monthlong scandal over HIV-contaminated blood supplies. The federal government admitted October 3 that officials had covered up 373 cases of HIV-contaminated blood in the 1980s.
Meanwhile, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Austria were joined yesterday by Switzerland and Sweden as known buyers from UB Plasma, the now-closed company in Koblenz, about 60 miles south of Cologne.
Four UB Plasma employees have been arrested, accused of knowingly using unreliable testing methods on blood to save money.
Federal Health Minister Horst Seehofer said testing is the only way to ease worry, and some state health departments said they will offer free testing.
Koblenz regional government head Gerd Danco said yesterday that the company, founded in 1985, had not received full permission to deal in pharmaceuticals until 1989.
Danco said UB Plasma was inspected every two years. A surprise inspection in 1987 found no contaminated products, he said, though there were deficiencies in hygiene.
Authorities finally acted against UB Plasma after three cases of HIV infection were traced to the firm's products used in late 1992.
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