Archive of "16 more may be carriers of Aids virus", The Straits Times, 30 April 1985

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16 more may be carriers of Aids virus

By KONG SOOK CHIN

SIXTEEN more people tn Singapore are suspected of csirying HTI.V-ni. the Aids-related virus They have shotsn positive results to the screening test, kwmi as the Kisa test But pending more I tests, the Health Ministry Is unable to say whether the 16 are carriers of the Aids related vims The ministry reported this yesterday In a statement to give an update on its monitoring programme on Aids (acquired immune defl eiency syndrome)

It said that the three •onflrmed carriers of the Aide-related vims (who were discovered in April) “remain clinically well" They are tetng followed up regulany at Middle Road Hospital “The majority of the 16 showed only weak positive results The slg nif leaner of the weak positive testa Is unclear and false positives due tn serological abnormal-! mes are possible,'* the, ministry said

Aids Advisory Committee Chairman Dr On* Yong Wan said yes I terday: "Initial positive results from labnranry tests may not mean the individual has been ex posed to or is carrying the virus ** Di Oug said the Kltsa test was used as a screen for antibodies or protein substam-es to the HTLVlll virus There <*uu)d lie other proteins in the blood unrelated to the virus, giving a positive rest result

Samples for tuts abroad All blood samples found positive have been sent to Reference l.sboratories tn the United States and A us trails for the t-nnfuma lory Western Blot test None of the ie*ulta is yet available. Thirteen of the sus pected rases are from the high nsk group of haemophiliacs, homosexuals aodprosti lutes 5k> far 2.05n peo-pie from the high nsk group have been screened Three >thers were discovered through srteening tests riooe by the Rk»od Transfusion Service, which tested specimens from 4 723 blond donors.

Pr Ong said that, eventually, about 30.000 people would he wTeened - about 5,000 in the high risk group and 15.000 blood donors.

The 16 suspected cases, screened under the ministry's Aids motunving programme, included s man who was discharged from Alexandra H<«pttai on Saturday.

The ministry assured the pubis* that during the patient's hnef hospitalisation. all neres 9*rv precautions were taken to safeguard the public and hospital staff.

Aids Involves a hreak •Sown in a patient's Ut» mune system rendering him incapable of defending himself against infections and unusual tumours such as Kaposi's Sarcoma, a skin cancer which is a clinical manifestation of Aids No <*ure has so far been found.

Aids can he transmit *ed through sperm, but a ministry spokesman said yesterday that there was no move to ban artificial insemination because of little such activity here.

“The Sperm Bank is dry because people are afraid to donate sperm." she added threat «f rs grows si Alia: Page

=See also=
 * Archive of "Three in S’pore found with Aids-linked virus", The Straits Times, 10 April 1985
 * Archive of "Aids virus: Doctor who 'found it'", The Sunday Times, 14 April 1985
 * Archive of "Special lab to do Aids tests soon", The Straits Times, 18 May 1985
 * Archive of "Man with Aids related virus in hospital", The Straits Times, 21 July 1985
 * Archive of "Aids: 20,000 cleared", The Straits Times, 29 November 1985
 * Archive of "Screening tests likely to uncover more Aids carriers", The Straits Times, 1 May 1986
 * Archive of "Aids claims first victim here", The Straits Times, 11 April 1987
 * Archive of "Fear of Aids pushes up condom sales", The Straits Times, 19 April 1987
 * Archive of "Govt dental clinics phasing out boiling", The Straits Times, 1 October 1987
 * HIV/AIDS in Singapore's LGBT community
 * Paddy Chew
 * Avin Tan
 * Ajmal Khan
 * Calvin Tan
 * Adrian Tyler

=References=
 * Kong Sook Chin], "Aids on ‘must report’ list", [[The Straits Times, 17 April 1985[].

=Acknowledgements=

This article was archived by Roy Tan.