Cases have been discovered of patients who received transplants and tested positive for HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the six infected patients is now in critical condition in the hospital. Health authorities have identified all individuals who received organs from the infected donor, confirming that two more were also infected.
The donor died at the age of 28 in January and their kidneys, liver, heart, and cornea were harvested for transplantation. However, a laboratory issued false negative results in the tests that led to the infection of the recipients. This laboratory was shut down due to numerous irregularities noted in an audit, including the lack of a license to operate and the absence of staff training records.
An investigation revealed that the former Secretary of Health of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Antônio de Souza Teixeira Júnior, currently a federal deputy, is involved in the case. The transplant from the infected donor was conducted at a center that operated without a license and without trained staff, according to health authorities.
The scandal came to light when a transplanted patient began to show neurological symptoms. The joint investigation, which includes the Civil Police, the Public Ministry, and the Regional Medical Council, discovered that the donor's blood samples were improperly stored in a domestic refrigerator and that the laboratory conditions were inadequate, suggesting possible corruption in the process.
