U.s. Vows To Provide Aids Test

January 31, 1985|By United Press International.

WASHINGTON — Margaret Heckler, secretary of health and human services, tried to allay fears of contaminated blood supplies Wednesday by saying the federal government will provide the money and manpower necessary to give high-risk Americans a new AIDS antibody test.

Heckler`s announcement came after heavy pressure from local officials and blood banks concerned that some people at high risk of getting AIDS might donate blood so they could be tested for the disease. Officials are concerned that this might lead to contamination of the blood supply.

Heckler said members of high-risk groups will be urged to have tests at clinics and doctors` offices away from blood banks, which also provide a test, soon to be licensed, for antibodies produced because of the deadly virus.

She said her department is ``prepared to divert manpower and funding to assist local officials to assure that alternative testing is available for those who can`t afford to pay,`` but she did not specify an amount.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome breaks down the body`s defense system, leaving victims susceptible to deadly infections and cancers. The Centers for Disease Control says 8,057 cases of AIDS were reported as of Jan. 28; of those, 3,863 victims died.

Most cases involve homosexual or bisexual men. But as of Jan. 10, the government reported 56 cases among hemophiliacs, who require frequent transfusions of blood and blood products, and 106 among other people who got blood transfusions.

The Health and Human Services Department will provide additional money for information and education, and it will run workshops for private and public health officials and representatives of high-risk groups, Heckler said. At the government`s urging, the nation`s 3,000 blood centers and hospital blood banks require donors to be screened and prohibit anyone with AIDS symptoms from donating blood. Donors in high-risk groups are asked not to donate or to request that their blood be used for research purposes only.