Doctor Presses Bank on HIV Tests

Doctor Presses Bank on HIV Tests

AIDS expert Kunal Saha is calling on World Bank officials to release a report on faulty diagnostic HIV test kits that could be putting Indians at risk for the virus. Saha, a professor at Ohio State University, also wants officials to ensure the kits, which he said produce false negative results, are removed from blood banks and hospitals in the country.

Earlier this year, Saha went on a bank-sponsored mission to India to examine a program to combat the spread of HIV. He and two India-based medical specialists visited hospitals and blood banks in major cities, gathering lab documents concerning the faulty kits. He cited 2004 and 2005 test results from two Indian hospitals in which blood samples that were known to be HIV-positive instead tested negative during a second, confirmatory test using the defective kits.

A draft report by Saha and the other doctors warns of serious quality issues with the kits at blood banks and hospitals between 2003 and 2006. "If people are getting HIV because of defective test kits, it's horrendous, it's unthinkable," said Saha.

The World Bank's top public health expert in South Asia, Kees Kostermans, said a bank report on the matter should be completed in a couple of months. Kostermans said there is no specific evidence of HIV transmissions due to the faulty kits, which were not purchased directly by the bank. The bank's partners at India's National AIDS Control Organization have assured him the kits are no longer being purchased and that none remain in use, he said.

Saha said he has seen evidence suggesting some of the flawed kits were in use as recently as April. But Kostermans disputed this, saying Saha was "mistaken" about the origin and make of the kits he saw on shelves in India earlier this year. "It is in nobody's interest to have poor-quality test kits," Kostermans noted.

Washington Post (09.28.07):: Carrie Johnson

We are providing the above information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases does not constitute endorsement. The above summaries were prepared without conducting any additional research or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles being summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against relying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summaries. This CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on MMWR articles, fact sheets and announcements.

STDWeB provides only health screening services. Tests are provided only for personal information and/or risk identification purposes. STDWeB does not diagnose or treat medical conditions. STDWeB screenings do not take the place of a physician care. Transactions with STDWeB are confidential and will not be shared with third parties. Tests with "positive" or "indeterminate" result may require confirmatory testing and may involve additional charges.