Blood Donor Gave A.I.D.S. To Six (Press, 14 November 1987)

In November 1987, the Medical Journal reported that six individuals in Wellington had contracted the A.I.D.S. virus due to blood transfusions received from a homosexual man who had previously donated blood. The donor, who had been a regular contributor to the Wellington transfusion service since 1963, resigned in October 1984 but had contributed blood that was infected with the A.I.D.S. virus prior to his resignation. By May 1983, he had provided a total of 45 donations, with an additional five donations made before his departure. The case that brought attention to the infected blood occurred when a 53-year-old man was admitted to Kenepuru Hospital in January 1987, presenting with weight loss and eventually diagnosed with pneumonia and A.I.D.S. His only known exposure to A.I.D.S. was through four units of resuspended blood cells received during a hip operation at Wellington Hospital in May 1983. Upon notification, the Wellington Hospital Board's transfusion service began tracing the source of the infection. They identified the infected blood through four serum samples and recalled the donor in March 1987. During an interview, the donor revealed that he was homosexual, having lived with a male partner for several years. He also mentioned having casual homosexual encounters while on holiday in the United States in 1982. Despite being asymptomatic at the time of the interview, tests confirmed he carried the A.I.D.S. virus. The investigation revealed that in total, six individuals, including the 53-year-old man, were found to have contracted the A.I.D.S. virus from the donor’s blood. Among them were three haemophiliacs, of whom it was initially believed that two had contracted the virus from Australian blood products. The third haemophiliac had received a locally produced blood product. Additionally, two patients who received blood transfusions from the donor's contributions were seriously ill and died shortly after. The article concluded that all blood donations made by the donor since 1982 had been accounted for, suggesting that no further cases of A.I.D.S. transmission from his donations would occur. This incident highlighted serious concerns regarding blood donation practices, particularly regarding screening for A.I.D.S. and the associated risks involved.

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