Plasma Economy

Plasma Economy (Chinese: 血浆经济) was a 1991–1995 plasmapheresis campaign by the Henan provincial government in China, in which blood plasma was extracted in exchange for money. The campaign attracted 3 million donors, most of whom lived in rural China, and it is estimated at least 40% of the blood donors subsequently contracted HIV.[1]

The Plasma Economy campaign boomed due to demand by biotech companies, and became a lucrative source of income for middlemen. The campaign had low health and safety standards, and lacked proper sterilization procedures; needles, blood bags, and other equipment in contact with blood were often recycled and reused. It is estimated that by 2003, over 1.2 million people had contracted AIDS in Henan Province alone.[1]

Background

In the late 1980s, the Chinese Central government introduced a "blood donation planning" policy due to the demand for blood in urban areas. Local governments and "bloodheads"(simplified Chinese: 血头; traditional Chinese: 血頭, xuètóu, coll. xiětóu) started encouraging blood donations. By 1990, thousands of public and commercial blood and blood plasma collection centers had been established across China, attracting donors with payments that could equal over a month's worth of income for some farmers.[2]

History

Caijing noted that China's blood donation system is largely monetarily driven, and while attempts had been made in the 1980s to move to a voluntary system, they were mostly unsuccessful.[3] In the early 1990s, China restricted the import of blood products, while calling for local investment by foreign pharmaceutical companies, especially to the province of Henan, where numerous plasmapheresis stations were built. The selling of blood plasma were seen by locals as a method to reduce poverty.

In plasmapheresis, blood plasma is taken from donors, while the remaining blood constituents such as red blood cells are returned to the donor. The blood plasma is then sold to pharmaceutical companies to produce blood-based products. As a cost-cutting measure, some stations mixed several bloods in the same centrifuge, resulting in large-scale blood contamination.[3] As a result, by 1995, such stations were shut down in Henan province, while blood collection was restricted by area, although demand for blood plasma still remained strong.

The impact of the Plasma Economy campaign had a long-lasting effect. It is estimated that by 1999, the Caixian County in Henan had 43% of its blood donors being infected with AIDS,[3] while in the village of Wenlou, over 65% of its residents had contracted HIV.[4]

HIV/AIDS activist Yan Lianke's 2005 book Dream of Ding Village is based on the incident.[5]

A full length play The King of Hell's Palace premiered at London's Hampstead Theatre on 5 September 2019, and gave a dramatisation of the events of the plasma economy scandal in Henan Province in the 90s. It was written by Frances Ya-Cha Cowig, and directed by Michael Boyd.

See also

  • HIV/AIDS in China
  • Love for Life
  • Hu Jia (activist)
  • Gao Yaojie
  • Wan Yanhai
  • HIV/AIDS in Yunnan
  • Zeng Jinyan
  • Weiquan movement
  • Shuping Wang

References

  1. 1 2 Kam Tsang (1 August 2003). "Blood Plasma Economy Accelerates AIDS Crisis in China". Sing Tao Daily. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Wu, Rou & Detels 2001, p. 41-42.
  3. 1 2 3 Lei Yongjian (2 May 2005). "China's Plasma Economy". Caijing. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Adam Brookes (30 May 2001). "Bad blood spreads Aids in China". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  5. ↑ Jonathan Watts (9 October 2006). "Censor sees through writer's guile in tale of China's blood-selling scandal Champion of the poor Yan Lianke fears he went too far in toning down his latest book". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
This article is issued from Offline. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.