HIV-Positive Organ Transplants Now Allowed

People living with HIV who need a new kidney or liver have a new chance. The U. S. health officials just said that soon, they can get organs from donors who also have HIV. Before, this was only allowed in special research studies. Now, the change aims to help everyone waiting for an organ, both with and without HIV. “This change clears the way for more lifesaving transplants, ” said the Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra. It's based on solid research. For instance, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at 198 organ recipients for up to four years. Those who got kidneys from HIV-positive donors did as well as those who didn’t.

This isn't new globally. In 2010, doctors in South Africa showed HIV-positive organs could work. The U. S. started allowing research on deceased donors in 2013. Then, in 2019, Johns Hopkins University did the first kidney transplant from an HIV-positive living donor. So far, there have been 500 such transplants in the U. S. This shows how this change can really make a difference.

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