Health ShortsBlood Donations & TransfusionsBlood Supply Unsafe in Many Countries In developing countries where the disease burden is greatest, an adequate supply of safe blood cannot be taken for granted. Some countries do not screen at all for HIV, hepatitis B or C or syphilis, and at least 20 countries do not have 100 percent screening for these diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that 82 percent of the world's population does not have access to safe blood. [SOURCE: "Developing Countries Face Safe Blood Shortage," Bulletin of the World Health Organization, July, 2004] About 60 percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but only 5 percent actually do so. The result, in many areas, is a shortage of blood needed for life-saving transfusions. Stricter standards to assure the safety of the blood supply coupled with a lower rate of blood donations have made it more difficult to meet the ever increasing need for blood and blood products for cancer treatment, organ transplants and surgical procedures. Only 40 additional donors a day in each state would ensure an adequate blood supply, according to the National Blood Data Resources Center.
[SOURCE:"Blood Donation and Transfusion; Overview," NWHRC Health Center-Blood Donation and Transfusion, January 5, 2004] HIV Risk from Transfusion Very Low For Americans, the risk of getting an HIV infection following transfusion of a single unit of blood is less than 1 in 1.9 million. The risk for hepatitis C virus is less than 1 in 1.6 million and the risk for hepatitis B is less than 1 in 210,000. There are other risks associated with blood transfusion, however, such as bacterial contamination of blood components during storage, allergic reactions and human errors leading to transfusion of the wrong blood.
[SOURCE: Jeffrey McCullough, "Progress Toward a Pathogen-Free Blood supply," Clinical Infectious Diseases, July 1, 2003] | ArchiveAIDS & HIV |
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