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10 Apr 2001
A donor who donated blood on 25 June 2000 at the Singapore Blood Transfusion Service (SBTS) was tested to be HIV infected.
The blood donor donated blood three times at the SBTS since July 1991. His last and third blood donation made on 25 June 2000 was tested HIV positive. This HIV positive blood donated was immediately quarantined and destroyed. The blood donor's first blood donation made on 28 July 1991 and second blood donation made on 12 December 1999, were tested HIV negative. Blood products prepared from the first donation had been transfused to one patient and that from the second donation to three patients. The recipient of the first donation has since died from a non-HIV related cause. The recipients of the second donation have been tested and found to be HIV negative.
The Ministry of Health filed a Police Report on 24 August 2000 for investigations into whether the blood donor had made a false declaration, with a view to prosecuting the donor if warranted. As Police investigations showed that the blood donor had made a false declaration, the blood donor has been charged under Section 11(1) of Infectious Diseases Act which carries a penalty, upon conviction, of imprisonment of up to 2 years or a fine of up to $20,000 or both for making a false declaration.
The SBTS (now the Centre for Transfusion Medicine [CTM], Health Sciences Authority) takes stringent measures to screen blood donors and implements the best available, state-of-the-art methods to test donated blood. The precautions taken by the CTM to safeguard the integrity of the national blood supply are comparable to those taken by blood banks in developed countries like the US and UK.
The Ministry of Health would like to thank all donors for their public spiritedness in donating blood and would like to encourage all donors to continue their good deed. There is no need for regular and potential blood donors to refrain from donating blood as long as they are truthful in their responses in the Donor Health Assessment Questionnaire. The doctors at the blood banks will then assess their eligibility to donate blood.
The Ministry would like to emphasise that persons who are at risk of having HIV infection should not donate blood. The blood bank should not be used as a HIV testing centre. Members of the public who wish to have their blood tested for HIV can do so at the polyclinics, private clinics or at the anonymous HIV testing clinic.