{"id":42851,"date":"2025-09-04T10:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42851\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T10:30:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T10:30:08","slug":"when-hong-kong-got-breakthrough-aids-tests-to-screen-blood-donors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/42851\/","title":{"rendered":"When Hong Kong got breakthrough Aids tests to screen blood donors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAn advanced test for AIDS, the deadly acquired immune deficiency syndrome, could be available in Hongkong by May,\u201d reported the South China Morning Post on February 19, 1985. \u201cAmerican researchers have developed a commercial kit to detect the disease and hope to receive an official go-ahead to begin production this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to license the test within the next two weeks, paving the way for its export abroad. The Australian Government has already placed an order and plans to have units operating before April to screen blood donors.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe South China Morning Post reports the news in February 1985 that Aids virus testing kits will be available in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Archives<\/p>\n

\u201cThe chairman of a task force set up in Australia to combat a threatened AIDS epidemic, said yesterday he had been told by US medical authorities the test kit could be marketed worldwide. \u2018I would think that it would be available to Hongkong or any country wanting it,\u2019 Professor David Penington said.\u201d<\/p>\n

On April 19, 1985, the Post reported that \u201cthe risk of catching AIDS<\/a> through blood transfusions will be greatly reduced when a blood screening programme is set up in the next four months. The Finance Committee allocated $4,237,000 to fund the blood test. The allocation will help to set up the programme for donated blood in the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service.\u201d<\/p>\n

On August 17, the Post confirmed that \u201cblood tests for AIDS can begin on Monday, the Medical Health Department announced yesterday. Laboratory screening will be run at Queen Mary Hospital and Yan Oi Polyclinic in Tuen Mun \u2013 charging $220 or $250 a time depending on what type of test. The facilities will be open for all doctors and hospitals in the territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hongkong Red Cross and the Family Planning Association both welcomed the news.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAn advanced test for AIDS, the deadly acquired immune deficiency syndrome, could be available in Hongkong by May,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[15650,32421,32422,32423,1128,22457,32424,32425,32426,18,135,32427,32428,19,17,32429,32430,32431,32432],"class_list":{"0":"post-42851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aids","9":"tag-aids-epidemic","10":"tag-aids-testing-reagents","11":"tag-american-researchers","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-australian-government","14":"tag-blood-donations","15":"tag-blood-screening-programme","16":"tag-blood-transfusions","17":"tag-eire","18":"tag-health","19":"tag-hongkong","20":"tag-hongkong-red-cross","21":"tag-ie","22":"tag-ireland","23":"tag-medical-health-department","24":"tag-professor-david-penington","25":"tag-queen-mary-hospital","26":"tag-us-federal-drug-administration"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}