Maravi

Govt withdraws suspicious contraceptive

Govt withdraws suspicious contraceptive
By Mutuna Chanda and Mutale Kapekele
Sunday January 27, 2008 [03:00]

HEALTH minister Dr Brian Chituwo has said two antibody tests on the injectable contraceptive Depo Provera have tested HIV positive. During a press briefing at the Ministry of Health head office in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Chituwo however said using a more conclusive form of testing for HIV called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) on Depo Provera, the results were HIV negative.

"So far two types of tests have been done: antibody tests; these tests detect the body's response to the presence of an offending germ. They do not detect the presence of a germ in the body. Two of these tests were reactive to the antibody for HIV. It should also be carefully noted that not all such tests done were positive," Dr Chituwo said.

"PCR; this test is specific for the detection of the presence of a germ, in this case HIV, in the body or in any product. This test was negative, meaning that there is no HIV in the Depo Provera."
Dr Chituwo emphasised that antibody tests were not conclusive by themselves.

"This is why when making a diagnosis of say HIV/AIDS, a number of other factors have to be considered," Dr Chituwo said. "These factors include viral load (the presence of the virus in the body-amount of viral particle per given volume of blood), symptoms and signs, CD 4 and CD 8 counts including the presence of defining opportunistic infections or diseases."

He said Depo Provera has been completely withdrawn and quarantined pending completion of scientific investigations.
"Measures taken so far for the safety of the public include; the Lusaka District Health Management Team urgently notified the Lusaka provincial health office which issued a circular within the province to have the product in question quickly withdrawn.

This was done. The Provincial health office simultaneously informed the Ministry of Health headquarters," Dr Chituwo said. "Following this, the ministry did three things; quickly issued a national circular to have the product withdrawn at the national level until further notice; the product has been withdrawn nationally; begun to conduct tests on the said product to ascertain whether it indeed contained HIV; begun to have consultative meetings with various partners related to Depo Provera."

Dr Chituwo said the public would be kept informed on continued investigations on Depo Provera.
"Though our preliminary investigations show that there is no HIV in Depo Provera, motivated by public health and safety, we will continue to investigate and members of the public shall be kept very well informed as events unfold," Dr Chituwo said.

"Independent international laboratories have been contacted and engaged to carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation on this matter. We have engaged Professor Nkanza's laboratory to do the tests which will also take the samples to South Africa and we will also use the World Health Organisation to test the samples.

"
But a check by The Post has revealed that Depo Provera was still being administered at Ndola and Kitwe Central hospitals.
The Post obtained two samples, each from Ndola and Kitwe Central Hospitals.

The samples from Ndola Central Hospital were obtained on Friday while those from Kitwe Central Hospital were collected yesterday.
A further three samples were also collected from Chilenje, Boma and Kanyama clinics in Lusaka last week.

Dr Chituwo assured the public that there was no need for panic.
"The Ministry of Health would like to assure the public that this matter is under control and there is absolutely no cause for fear and panic," Dr Chituwo said. "All the clients that received the said product need not worry and they shall be briefed by their family planning advisors when their attendance is next due."

He said the suppliers of Depo Provera had since been contacted.
"The suppliers of the said product have been contacted and notified about our national concerns and they are expected to submit their thorough and researched position on this matter as quickly as possible," said Dr Chituwo.

"In addition, the public must be informed that matters of quality assurance are treated as cardinal in the Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) and the Ministry of Health shall continue to ensure that public safety is guaranteed by ensuring that the products being given for our public health interventions, which interventions are working very well at the moment, meet both local and international safety standards."

Dr Chituwo said Depo Provera was donated to Zambia by the United States of America government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and that Zambia started receiving batches of the liquid injectable contraceptive in November last year.

Pharmacia and Upjohn of the United States of America manufacture Depo Provera.

Dr Chituwo said Lusaka district alone got a consignment of 10,000 but could not immediately give the exact quantity of Depo Provera that Zambia had received.

Labels: DRUGS

posted by MrK @ 3:53 AM