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)