PMI detects 39 HIV-positive donors

PMI detects 39 HIV-positive donors

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) said it has taken
a series of measures to screen out HIV-positive blood donated by
the public, thus preventing its transfusion to patients.

Melanie Wikanta, chief of PMI's Central Blood Transfusion
Unit, said the organization had detected 39 donors whose blood
was HIV-positive since it introduced the tests to prevent
contamination in 1992.

Melanie told a seminar on Monday that two different blood
tests have been adopted by the PMI, and that both meet the World
Health Organization standards.

Ellyani Sindu, a medical expert of the Indonesian Red Cross,
said that the reagents used in the tests have been approved by
the world body and that the tests are registered with the
Ministry of Health's Directorate General of Food and Drug
Supervision.

The two testing methods used by the PMI -- known as the Elisa
and Rapid tests -- are less expensive than the Western Blot
method which is used by the National Reference Laboratory at the
Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta.

Melanie and Ellyani were speakers at a seminar examining the
role of the Indonesian Red Cross in preventing the spread of HIV
which can cause the Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome.

One of the ways that the dreaded virus is transmitted is
through blood transfusion from people who are HIV-positive.

The PMI is the leading blood donor organization. Last year, it
registered 735,281 donors, a significant increase from the
571,483 it had in 1989.

Melanie said that all blood donated is subjected to one of the
two tests before being cleared for transfusion.

She said the process of determining whether blood is
contaminated by HIV may take up to three months.

According to official statistics, the number of people who
tested HIV positive in Indonesia stood at 390 at the end of
March. Health officials warn that the number of people who carry
the virus is much higher, however. (16)