--- title: First Transplant from HIV-Positive Donor Performed in U.S. description: Johns Hopkins performed the first ever HIV-to-HIV liver transplant canonical: https://time.com/4276422/first-transplant-from-hiv-positive-donor-performed-in-u-s/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-30T16:00:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:59.483Z article:section: Health og:title: First Transplant from HIV-Positive Donor Performed in U.S. og:description: Johns Hopkins performed the first ever HIV-to-HIV liver transplant og:url: https://time.com/4276422/first-transplant-from-hiv-positive-donor-performed-in-u-s/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: First Transplant from HIV-Positive Donor Performed in U.S. twitter:description: Johns Hopkins performed the first ever HIV-to-HIV liver transplant twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # First Transplant from HIV-Positive Donor Performed in U.S. > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Despite AIDS Research And Education, Some Myths Still Remain [Watch (HLS stream): Despite AIDS Research And Education, Some Myths Still Remain](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ShFuFJT0.m3u8) (1:43)  _Published 2015-12-01. Researchers have shared more information about HIV/AIDs than ever before and yet, some people still believe old myths._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 30, 2016 4:00 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 30, 2016 4:00 PM UTC The first U.S. liver and kidney transplants from a donor with HIV were completed at Johns Hopkins Medicine. This marks the first ever HIV-to-HIV liver transplant, and the first kidney transplant in the United States. HIV-positive kidney transplants have been done in the past in South Africa. It’s estimated that up to 600 people who have HIV and could be donors die each year. If their organs could be used for transplant, experts at Johns Hopkins think that more than 1,000 people could be saved. However, laws previously prohibited surgeons from using organs from HIV positive people. In 2013, the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act was passed, which made it possible for scientists to research organ donation from one person with HIV to another person. In January, Johns Hopkins received approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing to perform the surgery once a candidate and donor were identified and the procedures were recently completed. Approximately 122,000 people are on the transplant waiting list in the U.S. at any period and there is a perpetual shortage of donors. “We are very thankful to Congress, the President and the entire transplant community for letting us use organs from HIV-positive patients to save lives instead of throwing them away, as we had to do for so many years,” said Dr. Dorry L. Segev, professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a statement. The identities of the liver and kidney recipients are not released, but Johns Hopkins says the organs are functioning well. The kidney recipient has been living with HIV for more than 30 years and had been on the transplant list for years. The surgery went without complications and the person is at home and doing well. The liver transplant recipient has been living with HIV for over 25 years. 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