Conclusions of commission of the Ministry of Healthcare

Astana, January 15, 2010 (Khabar) - None of 106 children ill with leukemia had not been infected with hepatitis C at the Center of Pediatrics and in the national blood transfusion center. The Minister of Healthcare Zhaksylyk Doskaliyev has said this and published the results of the commission, which investigated the children who were infected with hepatitis C in Almaty. The commission reviewed three thousand medical records at the National Blood Center, as well as data of Blood Bank. Conclusion - children do not become infected through blood transfusions. The source of infection, the minister said, could be any surgical interventions, dental procedures, intravenous injections which children had received during treatment before addressed the Center of blood transfusion or the Institute of Pediatrics.

Zhaksylyk Doskaliyev, Minister of Healthcare of RK:
- The most probable ways of infection - 47 children experienced a variety of intravenous injections in clinics, hospitals, and unfortunately it is impossible now to trace exactly where infection occurred. But 78 cases were associated with various dental services. And 8% of cases with surgery.

The Minister decided to discharge deputy directors of the Institute of Pediatrics and the National Blood Transfusion Center in Almaty, who were responsible for the epidemiological work in their institutions. Ministry of Healthcare is now taking systematic measures to prevent infection with hepatitis C, as well as the treatment of patients with leukemia and hepatitis C and B. It is planned to organize a special clinical departments and all transfusion centers will be equipped with devices for the decontamination of blood. The Ministry of Healthcare allocates five billion tenge for all these measures.