Consequences of the commercialisation of plasma and blood in China.

HIV infection as a consequence of blood transfusions and blood by-products has occurred in many developed countries from the outset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In China the introduction of the market economy and commercialisation of blood and blood products after 1989 has lead to the spread of HIV infection among poor peasants living in the Chinese interior. In this review a history of HIV infections was presented showing that blood and blood products cannot be treated as commercial goods.