ABSTRACT
The problem of HIV transmission through blood in México has unique features in terms of its magnitude, its causes, and the preventive measures that have been adopted. As of August 1988, 1 628 cases of AIDS had been reported in México, of which 74 percent were ascribe to sexual contact, 12 percent to transmission, 1 percent to a combination of factors; and 11 percent to undetermined causes at the time. Of the 201 subjects infected by blood, 159 (79 percent) were infected though transfusions; 37 (18 percent) are hemophiliacs, and 5 (3 percent) are intravenous drug users. The percentage of cases of transmission through blood is greater than that reported in other countries of the Américas, such as the United States and Brazil. This problem was associated with a prevalence of HIV infection of 7 percent among paid donors as compared with a frequency of infection of 0.1 percent among volunteer donors. Preventive measures undertaken include the establishment of a National AIDS Prevention Committee that, in turn, determined legislative amendments to the General Health Law that included compulsory screening to detect HIV infection among all donors and prohibition of the sale of blood. It was also decided that HIV infection and AIDS should be subject to epidemiologic surveillance and must be reported to health authorities immediately. A national network of screening laboratories was set up and an
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Blood Transfusion/standards , MexicoABSTRACT
Este trabajo comienza describiendo las caracteristicas y el peso relativo que la transmisión del SIDA por la sangre tiene en general y en México en particular. A continuación se señalan /as diversas medidas que las autoridades de salud del paisadoptaron para contender con el problema y que culminaron con la modificación de la Ley General de Salud en 1987. Finalmente, se reseñan las actividades concretas llevadas a cabo por las distintas instituciones del sector para dar cumplimiento a /o dispuesto en la modificación de la Ley