Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Tuesday November 16 2:06 PM ET
Nicolas Jeandin, Haessig's lawyer, said Tuesday that the doctor died Sunday after a long illness.
A Geneva court in December 1998 held that Haessig, a former director of the Swiss central laboratory of the Red Cross, put people at risk through his actions in the 1980s. The court said he had acted out of "pride and stubbornness."
Haessig had known from 1982 onwards that there was a risk blood products could transmit the virus that causes AIDS, but failed to use safeguards that were available, the court decided. He was given a one-year suspended sentence.
Haessig admitted he had not pasteurized blood products because he thought the process made the products less efficient in treating the hemophiliacs. "I did nothing wrong, but certain things could have been done better," Haessig told the court.
The case was brought after official complaints were made by eight infected Swiss hemophiliacs, four of whom died before the trial.
The Red Cross laboratory provided 80 percent of the blood products for hemophiliacs in Switzerland at the time.
Jeandin said Haessig filed two separate appeals of his conviction. One died with him, while the other could be continued by his family, the lawyer said.
There was no immediate information on survivors or funeral arrangements.
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