Plasma Economy () was a 1991–1995

plasmapheresis Plasmapheresis (from the Greek πλάσμα, ''plasma'', something molded, and ἀφαίρεσις ''aphairesis'', taking away) is the removal, treatment, and return or exchange of blood plasma or components thereof from and to the blood circulati ...

campaign by the

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

provincial government in China, in which

blood plasma Blood plasma is a light amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but contains proteins and other constituents of whole blood in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the body's total blood volume. It is the intr ...

was extracted in exchange for money. The campaign attracted 3 million donors, most of whom lived in rural China, and it is estimated at least 40% of the blood donors subsequently contracted

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

. The Plasma Economy campaign boomed due to demand by biotech companies, and became a lucrative source of income for middlemen. The campaign had low health and safety standards, and lacked proper sterilization procedures; needles, blood bags, and other equipment in contact with blood were often recycled and reused. It is estimated that by 2003, over 1.2 million people had contracted AIDS in Henan Province alone.

History

Caijing ''Caijing'' is an independent magazine based in Beijing that covers societal, political, and economic issues, with a focus on civil rights, public affairs, and business.James F. Scotton"New Media for a New China,"John Wiley & Sons, 8 March 2010, ...

'' noted that China's blood donation system is largely monetarily driven, and while attempts had been made in the 1980s to move to a voluntary system, they were mostly unsuccessful. In the early 1990s, China restricted the import of blood products, while calling for local investment by foreign pharmaceutical companies, especially to the province of

, where numerous plasmapheresis stations were built. The selling of blood plasma were seen by locals as a method to reduce poverty. In

, blood plasma is taken from donors, while the remaining blood constituents such as

red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), also referred to as red cells, red blood corpuscles (in humans or other animals not having nucleus in red blood cells), haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes (from Greek ''erythros'' for "red" and ''kytos'' for "holl ...

s are returned to the donor. The blood plasma is then sold to pharmaceutical companies to produce blood-based products. As a cost-cutting measure, some stations mixed several bloods in the same centrifuge, resulting in large-scale blood contamination. As a result, by 1995, such stations were shut down in Henan province, while blood collection was restricted by area, although demand for blood plasma still remained strong. The impact of the Plasma Economy campaign had a long-lasting effect. It is estimated that by 1999, the Caixian County in Henan had 43% of its blood donors being infected with AIDS, while in the village of Wenlou, over 65% of its residents had contracted HIV. HIV/AIDS activist

Yan Lianke Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed inde ...

's 2005 book '' Dream of Ding Village'' is based on the incident. A full length play ''The King of Hell's Palace'' premiered at London's Hampstead Theatre on 5 September 2019, and gave a dramatisation of the events of the plasma economy scandal in Henan Province in the 90s. It was written by Frances Ya-Cha Cowig, and directed by Michael Boyd.

References

External links

Bad blood behind China's crisis BY Calum MacLeod Monday, 25 June 2001
* br>China's Plasma Economy 05-02 16:04 Caijing MagazineDanger of AIDS hidden in a large number of plasma stations in Guizhou Nanfengchuang Magazine Yin Hongwei 2006-06-15Antiretroviral Therapy for Former Plasma Donors in China: Saving Lives When HIV Prevention FailsBlood debts Tens of thousands of lives devastated. Not a single official held to account
{{Health in China HIV/AIDS in China Disasters in Henan 1990s in China Health disasters in China 1990s health disasters

History

See also

References

External links