Six health officials in Dehui City, northeast China's Jilin Province, who were held accountable for an incident in which one AIDS blood donor infected 21 others, were either stripped of their leading posts or placed on probation within the Party.

According to a report given by the Health Bureau of Changchun City, the provincial capital, a resident of Dehui City, 41 and with a surname of Song, who has unknowingly become a person living with HIV virus, made 15 blood donations with the Central Blood Bank of Dehui City between January 2003 and June 2004, but strangely enough, no HIV virus had been tested in Song's donated blood.

One investigation with Dehui City Hospital suggests that 25 patients have had received blood donated by Song. Further investigations prove that Song have altogether infected 21 others via blood transmission or sexually.

Eighteen of Song's blood recipients have been clinically diagnosed to have infected with HIV virus, of whom, three have developed into AIDS and died. Song's two sex partners, as well as one of the two sex partners' spouses have also been diagnosed to have had infected with HIV virus, said the report.

After the incident was reported, health departments of Jilin Province have organized strict investigations and taken measures to prevent the disease from spreading.

The local government has informed those victims who received Song's blood of HIV infection, promising to execute relevant preferential policies of the state toward the victims.

In the meantime, relevant departments have also traces 45 more people who have close contacts with recipients who used Song's blood. But the HIV antiviral tests have all showed negative.

Thirty-seven other blood donors who also made blood donations when Song did were also told to undergo HIV antiviral test and were also proved negative.

The six responsible officials who were penalized in the incident are director and deputy director of the health bureau of Dehui City, the acting leader, plus the formerly leader of the medical policy section, president and vice president of Dehui City Hospital.

Local police had detained 11 workers with the Central Blood Bank of Dehui City. Relevant departments will seek after their criminal responsibilities in the HIV infection incident, according to the Health Bureau of Changchun City.

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2005)