A batch of blood plasma in China used for transfusion has reportedly been infected with HIV. Reports say that 12,000 doses have been infected by the HIV.
Investigations are underway on how the batch of human immunoglobulin came to be infected by the virus. Orders have gone around the country to not use the batch of blood plasma distributed by Shanghai Xinxing Pharmaceutical.
"A group of experts sent by the National Medical Products Administration has arrived in Shanghai for site inspection at the company. All the related production and inspection records have been sealed," Xinhua News Agency reported.
China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said that the risk of patients infected by HIV is very low but will continue to keep an eye on the situation and also work with China's State Food and Drug Administration, reports Fox News. It is not clear yet whether patients have been affected by HIV.
The NHC added that they will monitor the patients who received a blood transfusion.
The plasma is used for patients with platelets deficiency as well as for those with chemotherapy infections.
This is not the first case of HIV spreading through blood transfusions in China. The country is known for the spread HIV through blood transfusions, reports NPR.
According to the report, there was a "dramatic" increase in HIV in the 1990s due to unhygienic and negligent use of the drug. Last year, China reported that the cases of HIV have gone down to almost zero through blood transfusions. They added that the cases of HIV are due to unsafe intercourse.
A report by The Economist said that in 2018, there were almost 850,000 cases of HIV, three times more than the number in 2010. The report added that this could be due to better medical treatment which could detect the infection.
