Haemophiliac Dies Of A.I.D.S. (Press, 20 November 1984)

A 33-year-old man named Terence McStay has died in Britain from A.I.D.S. after receiving a blood transfusion at Newcastle's Victoria Infirmary. Blood plasma used for his treatment was sourced from both Britain and the United States. While the hospital authorities have not confirmed the origin of the infection, it raises concerns about the safety of imported plasma potentially contaminated with the A.I.D.S. virus. As a precautionary measure, individuals identified as homosexuals and mainline drug users in Britain are now discouraged from donating blood. In New Zealand, Dr Graeme Woodfield, director of the Auckland Blood Transfusion Service, addressed the potential introduction of laws to penalise blood donors who knowingly put themselves at risk of A.I.D.S. He opined that such legislation would be unnecessary and could create long-term issues, particularly in prosecuting homosexuals who are already facing societal stress. Dr Woodfield noted that homosexuals in New Zealand had been cooperative in refraining from blood donation. He stressed that the blood service could not solely depend on female donors and that they could not exclude male donors entirely from the blood supply. Concerns surrounding A.I.D.S. have also hindered plans to establish New Zealand’s first A.I.D.S. clinic in Auckland. The A.I.D.S. Support Network aimed to open a counselling and sexually transmitted infections clinic near Auckland Hospital, but this initiative faced opposition from the public health nurses at the facility. Ms Carol Petersen, the principal public health nurse, expressed that the concept of an A.I.D.S. clinic would not mesh well with family health services, particularly due to the fear of cross-infection and space limitations within the existing health infrastructure. In Australia, the A.I.D.S. scare has prompted the Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide to cease its artificial insemination programme. Professor Warren Jones, who heads the fertility clinic, announced the suspension despite no known cases of A.I.D.S. transmission to babies conceived via this method. However, concerns regarding the safety of donor sperm have led to caution regarding potential risks. Following similar rationale, Adelaide’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital also halted its artificial insemination services. To combat the spread of A.I.D.S., the Australian Federal Government has approved a financial grant of AUD 300,000 to establish a National Reference Centre. This centre will monitor blood screening tests to detect A.I.D.S. antibodies and is expected to begin operations by the end of 1985. The response from healthcare authorities in New Zealand and Australia indicates a growing awareness and concern over the implications of A.I.D.S. as well as the importance of ensuring the safety of blood supplies and reproductive health services.

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