Cases of wrong HIV diagnoses may be on the increase following the distribution of expired Unigold HIV test kits to some states in the country SUNDAY PUNCH findings have revealed.

Findings showed that over 200,000 test kits supplied by a company, Trinitron Biotech Limited, Sheda, Abuja had expired, but the firm went ahead to distribute them to the states to justify the multi-million naira contract.

The firm which manufactures diagnostics test devices and research in the areas of HIV and malaria had an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health to supply HIV test kits as part of the national HIV/AIDS campaign.

The pact was for the firm to manufacture the kits in Nigeria, but this was not done as they were imported instead.

The kits were supplied a few weeks to their expiry dates, thus making them worthless as they were supposed to have a lifespan of 18 months.

Many of the kits which were supplied by the company between December 23 and 31, 2010, had January 7; January 17 and February 18, 2011 as expiry dates.

“The results from the HIV kits cannot be reliable; they will give false HIV positives and negatives. So anyone who gets tested with it would get a wrong diagnosis,” a source in the ministry said.

Our correspondent gathered that the issue of the test kit was raised by participants at the just concluded HIV Sentinel Survey meeting on January 28, 2011 at Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuyep, Abuja, but the National Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Programme, Ministry of Health, Dr. Wapada Balami, allegedly vetoed discussion on the matter.

The meeting which had about 100 participants from the ministry including two persons from each state and survey management committee members, was called to discuss the results of the 2010 HIV survey in the country.

The source explained that many Nigerians might suffer for the anomaly insisting that the use of the kits would cause serious medical and emotional problems for anyone who might be tested with them.

He explained that a similar thing happened in the past when Bundi test kits which had quality issues were procured by the ministry and distributed to states.

A man was said to have been diagnosed with HIV and placed on antiretroviral drugs for nine months in Maiduguri, Borno State before a fresh test showed that he was not HIV positive.

The incident was said to be under investigation by The Presidency.

An official of Ebonyi State Action Committee on AIDS said about three cartons of the fresh test kits had expired by January 11, and each carton contained about 1,200 kits.

He said, “The kits were brought to the office on December 23, 2010, but I was not around. I wouldn’t have received them. We have complained about the fact that the kits are expired, but the company didn’t listen to us; they should come and carry their kits, we can’t use them.”

A SACA official from Edo State said about 2,000 kits would expire on February 7 and she had asked the health personnel to stop using them as they were worthless.

“We quarrelled with them (ministry officials) at the workshop in Abuja for bringing expired HIV test kits to us, but they refused to respond to the issues raised. When they brought the kits, I told them I can’t take them because they were expired, but we were forced to sign the acknowledgement by ministry officials,” she said.

When contacted on Saturday night, Balami said he had written to the company to withdraw the expired kits from the states.

When pressed further, he stated that all enquiries be directed to TBL.

However, the TBL Project Manager, Mrs. Bidemi Salami, said the kits were what the states demanded, adding that she had an acknowledgement from the state representatives to prove it.

She stated that her company supplied over 200, 000 kits between November and December 2010, but denied that they had expired or were about expiring.

“Some of the kits have January 7; some have January 12 and February 2011 as expiring dates; they are not expired yet. We had problems clearing the kits at the ports, that was what held it up, and some other factors, including the post-market validation,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Biola Akinola said Balami had informed her that the firm had been directed to withdraw the kits.
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Folks at the port were awaiting their bribe.