Written Answers. - HIV/AIDS Infection.
James McDaid
Question:
32
Dr. McDaid
asked the
Minister for Health
the current position regarding the junior hospital surgical doctor who tested HIV positive, having worked in Limerick and Letterkenny hospitals; the current investigations regarding the nurse with HIV as a result of a blood transfusion; and the current statistics available for HIV/AIDS.
[4292/97]
Limerick East): A junior doctor, who worked in the Surgical Department of Letterkenny General Hospital, was confirmed HIV-positive on 3 December 1996. The doctor had been employed at the hospital for four months, from 1 July 1996 to 4 November 1996, during which time he assisted in a number of invasive surgical procedures. The doctor had previously worked on a surgical team at Limerick Regional Hospital from 25 March 1996 to 13 June 1996.
When the doctor's HIV status was confirmed, a decision to undertake a look-back programme and to inform the public of the situation was made by the North-Western and Mid-Western Health Boards. To date all patients who opted for testing have tested negative for the HIV virus, although because of the window period for infection a number of repeat tests have still to be carried out. The doctor is no longer employed in the Irish health service.
The source of the HIV infection of a healthcare worker in the South Eastern Health Board was confirmed to have been a contaminated blood transfusion which she received in the summer of 1985, prior to the introduction of routine HIV screening of blood donations.
The person has not been at work since the diagnosis was confirmed.
The person concerned had never worked in the operating theatre area of the hospital and was only involved in a small number of exposure prone procedures, all of which are in the low risk category. Thirteen patients were identified as having possibly been exposed to low medical risk as a result of contact with the healthcare worker. These patients were contacted by their general practitioners and advised of the situation. Eleven of these patients opted for HIV testing and all tested negative.
Statistics in relation to the number of persons tested in this country for HIV and confirmed to be positive, as supplied to the Department of Health by the virus reference laboratory, are as follows: To date 119,634 HIV tests have been carried out, of which 1,731 were positive.
The statistics in relation to AIDS are as follows: As at 31 December 1996, the number of persons positive for AIDS is 577. Up to 31 December 1996, 304 people have died from AIDS.
