A.I.D.S. prompts precautions

Press, 15 July 1983, Page 4

A.I.D.S. prompts precautions

Steps are being taken in Christchurch to lessen the risk haemophiliacs face of contracting the mystery killer, A.I.D.S. A haematologist at Christchurch Hospital, Dr P. J. Wyld, said plans were under way to send more local plasma to Australia for processing into blood factor concentrates given to haemophiliacs. Most locallyused concentrates are processed in Melbourne from North Island plasma, but the rest is imported from American companies, the world’s biggest suppliers. Those who receive blood products regularly were worried that the acquired immune deficiency syndrome could be transmitted through the blood diSAmeri-

can donors. Dr Wyld said there was evidence for and against this, but more care needed to be taken with blood products, particularly those from the United States, where A.I.D.S. was most prevalent. Most victims are homosexuals or intravenous drug users. But it has been estimated that American haemophiliacs risk contracting the disease at the rate of one per million blood transfusions. The problem was that American companies pooled thousands of blood donations to make factor concentrates more economically. “This means that the patient’s exposure to viruses, particularly those

that cause hepatitis, are increased,” he said. Americans were also paid for giving blood, which made thef? donations more suspect

The general feeling at a recent world congress on haemophilia that he attended in Stockholm was that not enough was known about the disease. However, Dr Wyld said it was inevitable that an A.I.D.S. victim would appear in New Zealand. He believed that two people in Australia had recently died from the diesease, which breaks down the body’s resistance to infection. Three North Island centres had already made moves towards self-suffi-ciency from imported blood products and Christchurch planned to follow suit in about six months. “We have had to get new equipment and slightly alter our approach to pro-

ducts that we use in the hospital,” he said. The change had been planned before the A.I.D.S. scare but that was an added incentive. Another precautionary measure being taken in Christchurch was checks on the immune systems of Christchurch’s 40 haemophiliacs. About half are severely affected and receive blood products regularly. “It is really just to get some base-line data,” he said. “The thing is we do not know what are the symptoms that pre-empt A.1.D.5.” Then if there was a suspicion that a haemophiliac had contracted A.1.D.5., some comparisons could be made.