A FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL was infected with AIDS after she underwent a blood transfusion in Fuzhou, Fujian province. The local authorities said one of the blood donors might have donated blood during the "window period", in which a person freshly infected does not test positive. Comments:

Even if the window period explanation applies, the victim needs humanitarian care. The fact is the health authorities investigated the case for several months without reaching a conclusion, and prevented her family from speaking during the news conference; the bureaucrats even told her to stay away. It is the arrogance of power that has caused such widespread anger against the authorities. Please, bureaucrats, learn how to speak with people.

qq.com, Jan 12

As there is a risk during the window period, in which patients suffer but hospitals consider themselves faultless, it is necessary to adopt a mechanism, such as the State establishing a fund or purchasing services from insurance companies, to help those who become infected in this way. Considering the extremely low percentage of people that are infected from a blood transfusion, that will be a light burden to the State but will help any family that meets such bad luck.

Southern Metropolis Daily, Jan 10

Experts say the window period cannot be terminated, but more advanced testing technologies will shorten it. Currently domestic blood collecting authorities invest little in testing and they only manage to do very simple tests on those donating blood; it is necessary for them to adopt more advanced procedures in order to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

cqnew.net, Jan 10

(China Daily USA 01/13/2015 page11)