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Infected blood 'was brought from Africa'
Expert discovered 'unethical trafficking'
By Louella Houldcroft August 28th 2000
BLOOD contaminated with the HIV virus and hepatitis has been shipped into Britain from South Africa for the past 20 years, an investigation has revealed.
The multi-million-dollar scandal has been exposed in a World Health Organisation (WHO) report which was set up to look at why the two infections have spread so quickly across the globe. Experts investigating the spread of infection through blood transfusions claim blood coming from one of the nations most seriously affected by Aids was often labelled as "animal plasma" to avoid the strict checks.
The report includes evidence collected by Dr Peter Jones, who investigated how his patients and other haemophiliacs in Britain had become infected with the two diseases.
The Journal has revealed that a North-East haemophiliac is at the forefront of a campaign to force a public inquiry over the issue of infected blood.
Dr Jones, a former haematologist at Newcastle General Hospital, said that as early as 1980, plasma for the manufacture of factor VIII and factor IX had not only been bought from donors in the US but also from central Africa.
"International plasma brokers would draw on numerous sources including Kinshasa, the capitol of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Ghana, the Congo, Ivory Coast and Senegal," he said.
"Given the long incubation period for Aids, these facts suggest that the disease was introduced into the US and Europe, not by sexual transmission, but via plasma obtained in endemic areas."
But a spokesman for the Department of Health said last night: "All our blood is tested and double tested.
There's an enormous amount of checks made to make sure blood used in our hospitals is safe.
" British police are now "consulting other European forces over the investigation.
At least two British companies, one in Guernsey and the other in Berkshire, have been investigated by Austrian detectives.
They say unscrupulous processing companies in several countries relabelled the contaminated blood as fit for therapeutic use, then sold it on to India and China. Several blood brokers are due to appear in court in Austria, facing charges of fraudulent trading and endangering public health.
A British Aids expert, Professor Alan Smith, initiated the investigation when he uncovered what he described as the "highly unethical" trafficking while he worked in the virology department of Natal University.
The WHO report estimates that in the past decade the blood brokers made more than £7m from processing and relabelling blood from Southern and Central Africa.
A haemophiliac living in Houghton-le Spring, who has both hepatitis C and HIV through contaminated blood products, and who did not wish to be named said last night "it can't be coincidence that so many haemophiliacs became infected with these two viruses. I just wish people would speak out and tell us what went wrong."
Dr Jones said: "I have met the doctor in charge of blood collections who worked in Zaire, which of course was - and probably still is - the epicentre of HIV.
"Plasma coming out of there was obviously infected and no amount of rebuttal can take away the fact that somebody who is qualified and who has actually been there and done it has told me."
Were there other motives than greed for doing this?
Was this an attempt to make a prophecy of a breakout of the HIV true?
Morning BUMP, BLOODHOUNDS
A bump back to you Budge!
a bump for the unbelievable
Would it be possible to burn a CD and get it into the hands of this journalist?
I've sent the CD of the Bloodtrail and of the Krever report indirectly to this reporter and am informed that she indeed reviews Budges site as a data base for the blood scandal.
a bump and a drip for Budges page!
A bump and a drip!!!
Apalling.
My Lordy - and all the money we pour into Africa for AIDS through the AIDS organizations!
The question: > A haemophiliac... said last night "it can't be coincidence that so many haemophiliacs became infected with these two viruses. I just wish people would speak out and tell us what went wrong."
The answer: > The WHO report estimates that in the past decade the blood brokers made more than £7m from processing and relabelling blood from Southern and Central Africa.
Let us not forget that the Arkansas plasma program both mislabeled its product and falsified its records by taking "donor" names out of the phone book, to hide the fact that the plasma came from Cummins prison farm.
"Would it be possible to burn a CD and get it into the hands of this journalist? "
If 'he/she' didn't have an editor, or a reason to 'live'. Just MO.
Excellent!
YES! : )
No, It was just GREED on the part of the manufacturer's, and a presumption that most recipient's of the product's are stupid.
Victims of tainted blood may be stupid but they're not dumb. Revenge always tastes better served cold. The truth will come out yet.
a bump and a drip!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
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