Blood collecting resumes in Newfoundland community

Canadian Blood Services will start accepting blood from residents of a rural area of Newfoundland that was once known for high rates of HIV infection. The move comes because the rates are now in line with those in the rest of Canada.

In 1995, the Canadian Red Cross stopped holding blood donor clinics in Conception Bay North, a string of small communities about an hour's drive from St. John's, because the area's HIV infection rate was higher than in the rest of the province and in many parts of the country. In a catchment area with 30 000 residents, 54 people were discovered to be HIV positive. Health officials connected many of the new cases to 1 man, who had infected multiple sexual partners.

"The Red Cross' concern was that it had no idea how many women were infected or at what stage of the disease they were in," says Dr. Karl Misik, medical director with Canadian Blood Services in St. John's, the organization that now manages the blood supply. "Plus, they may have infected others with the virus."

Since then, the centre has conducted annual reviews of the data for Conception Bay North and concluded that the rate of infection there is now similar to rates in the rest of Canada. At the same time, there has been marked improvement in HIV testing. Current tests can detect HIV in the blood within approximately 21 days of infection. New tests, to be introduced in June, will reduce that period to 6 to 11 days.

The people of Conception Bay North were upset when the clinics were cancelled, saying it stigmatized their communities and left a negative impression about the area throughout the province and the country. "We tried to get the people in Conception Bay North to understand that it was for safety reasons," says Misik. "I think we've overcome this hurdle by explaining that."

In fact, service groups like the Kiwanis Club have responded positively to the news that the clinics will resume and are eager to get to work organizing them. The first clinics were slated to open in March.