Children at school and problems related to AIDS.

  • Great Britain. Department of Education and Science.
Date:
1986]
Catalogue details

Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: Children at school and problems related to AIDS. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    4/12 (page 2)
    secretions. There is a theoretical risk of transmission through exposure of open skin lesions or mucous membranes to the blood or — body fluids of an infected person. Infected mothers and blood transfusion 9. The number of infected children is at present small, but is likely to increase, the major cause of the increase being in the numbers of children born tc infected mothers. Infected women may transmit the virus to their infants during pregnancy or birth or possibly through breast milk. 6. The risk of a child becoming infected as a result of a blood transfusion is extremely low and this risk has been reduced even further by the screening of all blood donations for the virus antibody. — Haemophilic HTLV-III/LAV antibody positive children 7. Children with haemophilia, almost all of whom are male, suffer from a clotiing defect which causes bieeding into joints and also soft | tissues after knocks rather than external bleeding. Any cuts to haemophilic HTLV-III/LAV antibody positive children do not present a Significant hazard to others providing they are managed promptly as suggested in the Annex. 8. HTLV-III/LAV infection has occurred in some of these children as a. result of some batches of Factor VIII and IX preparations (blood- Clotting agents used in their treatment) being infected with the virus. All Factor Vill and IX in use in this country is now heat treated; this should eliminate any future risk of transmission from these agents. The great majority of haemophilic children (who total just over 700 in. the UK) have now been tested for the HTLV-III/LAV antibody; of these, 35 per cent have been found to be antibody positive and carriers of the virus. As these children reach school leaving age, the | number of infected haemophilic children in schools will gradually diminish. Is there any risk of transmission in school? 9. None of the identified cases of HTLV-III/LAV infection in the United) States or in the UK are known to have been transmitted in the school |: setting or through other casual personal contact or in families. 10. Studies of the known cases in the USA and UK have shown no evidence that infection has been transmitted by casual person-to- | person contact such as occurs in schools. Furthermore, research has} shown that intimate contact in a family setting with children