Chinese Officials Announce Stricter Punishment For Contaminated Blood Sales

Main Category: Blood / Hematology
Also Included In: Liver Disease / Hepatitis;  Sexual Health / STDs;  HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 25 Sep 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China recently released details of a new law regarding illegal blood sales, which state that any agent collecting or supplying blood that causes at least five people to become infected with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C or syphilis could face a sentence of 10 years to life in prison, the AP/Yahoo! News reports (AP/Yahoo! News, 9/23). According to Ni Shouming, spokesperson for the Supreme People's Procuratorate, blood suppliers who do not comply with national standards also could face a prison sentence of less than 10 years (Xie, China Daily, 9/23).

Many of the 40,000 HIV-positive people living in China's Henan province were infected with the virus through unsanitary blood collection drives approved by the local government (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 9/19). The Ministry of Health in 2006 created regulations on laboratory testing, storage and transportation of blood plasma, as well as reporting adverse reactions, after the discovery of a contaminated blood operation in Bei'an that led to 19 people contracting HIV (China Daily, 9/23). It is now illegal to sell blood in China without approval by officials (AP/Yahoo! News, 9/23).

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