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Armand P. Gelpi, MD
Redwood City, Calif

JAMA. 1986;255(18):2441.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The article by Drs Harfi and Fakhry¹ is of great interest, not only because it identifies the problem of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a completely new geographical and cultural setting, but also because the authors chose not to elaborate on the transfusion situation in Saudi Arabia. Saudis do not donate blood; therefore, all blood must either be obtained from expatriates residing in the kingdom or from commercial sources outside Saudi Arabia. There are probably a few cultural and religious traditions behind this. The one that has received the most credence is that blood loss of the magnitude of 400 to 500 mL is associated with a loss or diminution in sexual prowess.

The authors have suggested that one solution to the problem of imported AIDS would be to screen blood for HTLV-III antibodies. They might also have added that the Saudis need a program of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Edited by Drummond Rennie, MD, Senior Contributing Editor; Sharon Iverson, Assistant Editor.

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