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4 Infected With HIV At Peruvian Hospital

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The Associated Press

Published: September 14, 2007

LIMA, Peru - Officials closed the country's 240 blood banks after at least four people were infected with HIV from blood transfusions in a public hospital.
Health Minister Carlos Vallejos said Thursday the blood banks will be inspected by a commission that will include officials from the World Health Organization.

'This situation cannot continue,' Vallejos said. 'All of Peru's blood banks are being reviewed.'

A Health Ministry investigation found that Judith Rivera, a 44-year-old mother of four, was infected with the virus through blood transfusions during an operation for a tumor in her uterus in April at a state hospital in Callao, Lima's port city.
Vallejos confirmed three other cases, including that of an 11-month-old infant, all at the same hospital.

On Thursday, a 17-year-old boy told local media that he was also infected with HIV by a transfusion at the hospital, but the ministry had not confirmed the case.

Jose Cruz, an adviser on blood and laboratory safety for the Washington-based Panamerican Health Organization, called Peru's blood banks 'worrying.'

He said Peru is on the organization's list, along with Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, of countries that fail to perform preliminary disease screening on all blood collected in blood banks.

The organization's most recent figures show almost one-quarter of the blood Peru's banks receive is not properly screened, Cruz said.

The United Nations estimates that 93,000 of Peru's 27 million people are HIV positive.

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