People with a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can sacrifice the bodies of others from Tuesday with the same infection after the official state newspaper (BOE) published an order that canceled the previous norm of 1987, which prevented this procedure.
“This is an order that had the reason to be in the same year in which he was published in the historical moment, which was then lived, and the need for healthcare authorities to avoid the spread of infection. But the abolition of this order was the historical duty, which had ONT, and which had transplantation of the sector with the population with HIV infection, ”clarified the general director for the national organization of the transplant organization.
The Minister of Health Monica Garcia advanced in December last year during the celebration of World AIDS Day, the intention of her department to eliminate this restriction. As explained, in the last decade, 65 people killed with HIV could sacrifice their bodies and make up to 165 transfers possible, without this normative restriction and having ideal HIV receptors in the waiting list that their consent provided.
In turn, every year, about 50 patients with HIV enter the expectations for transplantation in Spain. Until now, these patients have transplanted by donor organs without infection, and after a normative change that will enter into force the day after their publication in BOE, they will have the opportunity to get the organ of living or dead donors with HIV.
In addition to helping to increase the availability of organs for all patients in the list of transplantation, both of those who have HIV infection and are not infected, Monica Garcia emphasized that the abolition of this order is one of the steps that their ministry gives to eliminate the social stigma of people with HIV.
From their health, they explained that at the beginning of the century, when the HIV forecast began to change thanks to antiretroviral therapy, the first experience of organs began to publish in HIV receptors with encouraging results. This forced the international scientific community to wonder if HIV infection should remain a contraindication for transplantation.
In Spain, this move was reflected in the national consensus document adopted in 2005 by the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology (SEIMC), the national plan for AIDS and ONT. Today, transplantation of all types of organs is performed in HIV -infected patients; Until December 2024, kidney transplantation 311, 510 liver, 11 lungs, 10 hearts and 1 pancreas -rinion registered in Spain with good results.
Similarly, the transplantation of organs between people with HIV infection has experience and good results obtained in other countries, such as South Africa, where this procedure began in 2008, which subsequently spread to other European countries and United States. Currently, Spain joins these states, responding to the historical statement of the team with HIV and medical workers.
ONT will be responsible for establishing protocols of actions and monitoring mechanisms necessary to evaluate the results of organs transplantation between HIV people, which later should be adopted by the transplantation commission of the intended council of the national healthcare system.
