News of the widespread use of faulty HIV test kits in public and private hospitals and clinics is bound to cause alarm among those who have been tested negative.
For most, the comfort they derived from the result of their AIDS test will be snatched away only temporarily. Worldwide, only four tests using the kit have produced false negatives. Most will be reassured after a second assessment. Nevertheless their personal distress is understandable. If it were not for the tiny possibility of a false negative in Hong Kong, they would not be put through it again. Sadly, the possibility cannot be dismissed entirely. All patients must be recalled to ensure no one is unwittingly passing their infection on.
However, there may be some who cannot be contacted, or who would rather not wait to be called. So for the kit-makers, Abbott Laboratories, to refuse to release the list of clinics and doctors to have used their equipment is to deny a public need. Their agents here should think again. Their job is to ensure the least distress is caused to all concerned, not to create further uncertainty.
