Brazilian patients test positive for HIV after organ transplant

Six patients who underwent an organ transplant in the state of Rio de Janeiro tested positive for the AIDS virus, the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced Friday, October 11. A situation “grave” which is currently the subject of an investigation by Brazilian health authorities.

Six organ recipients test positive for AIDS

The case was discovered on September 10, when a patient, non-HIV positive before a heart transplant, presented to the hospital with worrying neurological symptoms. A test revealed that he carried the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Investigations then revealed that other people, who initially tested negative for the virus, had been infected: “So far we have received confirmation that two donors have tested positive for HIV and six recipients have also tested positive,” Health Minister Nisia Trindade said in a statement, describing a “situation grave”.

This malfunction occurred in a private laboratory, PCS Lab Saleme, which works with the Rio health system. The authorities immediately ordered its suspension, as well as the carrying out of new tests on the organs previously analyzed by this establishment.

Half a million Brazilians infected with HIV

The Ministry of Health also ordered “an emergency audit of the transplant system of the State of Rio de Janeiro” to understand how such an error could have occurred and prevent it from happening again. The scandal calls into question transplant monitoring protocols and raises questions about the safety of transplant procedures in the country.

Between 2007 and June 2023, nearly half a million Brazilians were infected with HIV, an alarming figure that highlights the importance of ensuring reliable and secure testing, especially in medical procedures as delicate as transplants. organs.