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Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood

Aids-free blood stock

By KONG SOOK CHIN

THE Health Ministry has started 100 per cent screening of all blood donors to ensure that the country's blood supply is free of Aids.

This was disclosed by Mr Yeo Cheow Tong, Minister of State (Health and Foreign Affairs), yesterday.

The full-scale screening is part of the ministry’s $2 million anti-Aids plan. After the initial costs, the annual recurrent budget would be about $1.5 million, he added.

Mr Yeo, who was speaking to reporters on his return from attending the non-aligned conference In Luanda, Angola, said that the 100 per cent screening started in the middle of last month.

He explained that 100 per cent screening of blood is expensive, but the Government has decided to go ahead with it because of concern for the public’s welfare.

He added that the screening will continue for as long as necessary. Mr Yeo believed that Singapore is the only country in the world to have started on full-scale screening of donor blood.

There are three parts to the anti-Aids plan. The first is to counsel people in high-risk groups such as homosexuals and prostitutes on the risks to themselves and to others outside the groups.

Mr Yeo said that the high-risk groups will go through a series of counselling programmes.

Pamphlets on the disease Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) are being produced for them.

How it spreads

The second part is to educate the public that Aids “is not something that you catch like flu”, Mr Yeo said. “You only get it if you are inclined that way.” He was referring to promiscuity and certain homosexual practices.

Aids is spread through intimate sexual contact with infected individuals, through transfusions of contaminated blood and sharing of needles with intravenous drug abusers who are victims or carriers.

The ministry has started a public education programme for the public with talks by Middle Road Hospital doctors and the distribution of pamphlets on Aids.

This month, public education will be stepped up with the distribution of 100,000 copies of a special publication on the prevention of the disease.

This will be augmented by a series of talks to be conducted by health education officers of the ministry’s Training and Health Education Department.

The third part - one of the main areas of concern for the ministry - is to ensure that the blood supply is free of Aids. Hence, the 100 per cent screening of blood.

Asked about more facilities to deal with Aids, Mr Yeo said that more laboratories for tests would be provided if needed.

The ministry is setting up a laboratory to do tne confirmatory Western Blot test, a check on the results of the initial screening.

Protect started in May

It is being set up by the Pathology Department at the Singapore General Hospital and is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

The ministry started a pilot blood-screening project in May to test the blood of 20,000 people, that is, 15,000 blood donors and 5,000 from the high-risk groups.

Aids Advisory Committee Chairman Dr Ong Yong Wan had said that the pilot study is to find out the prevalence of the disease in Singapore.

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References[]

Kong Sook Chin, "Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood", The Straits Times, 11 September 1985[].

Acknowledgements[]

This article was archived by Roy Tan.

Archive of "Singapore ‘first in the world’ to have 100 % screening of donor blood", The Straits Times, 11 September 1985

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