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On October 15, data showed that due
to a delay in the Korea Red Cross using the latest screening methods, blood
infected with hepatitis B was transfused to 117 individuals. According to the
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who had tested
positive for hepatitis B after the Red Cross introduced a new screening method
in May of last year had their blood, previously offered for transfusion,
retested.
Data from the testing showed that in
59 cases the blood erroneously tested negative and subsequently had been
transfused to 117 individuals. According to the investigation conducted by
health authorities, two of the 117 have not been infected, and testing is
ongoing for the remaining 115 individuals.
The errors in testing were revealed as
the blood was retested using the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test. NAT confirms
the genes of pathogens and can detect early infections that the enzyme
immunoassay (EIA) method currently used cannot. The “window period,” which
refers to the initial time period when individuals do not test positive for
hepatitis B, is 59 days for EIA and 25 days for NAT.
Since Korea has a relatively large
number of individuals with hepatitis B, the need for NAT had been suggested
previously, but the Korean Red Cross only began using the new test in June of
last year.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
