Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - November 16, 1985
It was not known if the man who donated the sperm was infected with acquired immune deficiency syndrome at the time of the donation, Dr. Ronald Bolognese, director of obstetrics and gynecology at the hospital, said Wednesday.
The sperm was collected before mid-1984, when no screening test for antibodies to the AIDS virus existed. AIDS antibodies signal probable infection with the AIDS virus. A blood test of the donor when he returned to the program a year later also showed evidence of hepatitis and venereal disease.
Another physician said that it was believed the man developed the AIDS antibodies in the past year and that there was "probably no risk" to the women who received the sperm.
A spokesman for the hospital said four of the 19 women gave birth from March 1984 to August 1985 and that the hospital had offered to test the babies and the women who received the sperm for AIDS antibodies.
Scientists believe AIDS is caused by a virus that breaks down the body's ability to fight certain cancers and infections. Fewer than 10 percent of those infected with the virus have developed full-scale AIDS symptoms after five years, according to medical experts.
Medical authorities have warned against using sperm from donors whose blood has not been screened for possible exposure to AIDS.
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