NoBlood

Promed News

More than 6400 blood transfusion units distributed in Japan could be
tainted by the AIDS virus
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The Japanese Red Cross will carry out a survey to determine how many people
have received blood from HIV-infected donors. It estimates that the number
could reach 50 000, and that the blood, distributed over the past 13
months, could also be tainted by syphilis and viral hepatitis.

So far, the Red Cross has only been able to recover 13 of the 6419 units,
which suggests that the rest have already been used. However, the Ministry
of Health, Labor, and Welfare, has assured that the risk of infection from
this blood is low, but that the Ministry will contact everyone to whom it
was administered in order perform tests and confirm that no one has become
infected.

According to this organization, initial laboratory tests of the blood were
negative, but it is possible that the results were misleading, given that
conventional technology is unable to detect the viruses during the period
immediately after the donor becomes infected.

Suspicions arose after the Red Cross traced the records of donors who later
tested positive for AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and/or syphilis, after having
donated their blood between 13 Jul 2002 and 21 Jul 2003.

Towards the end of its investigation, the Red Cross determined that the
donations had been processed into 6419 units for blood transfusion.

During the 80s, the Japanese government faced one of its worst scandals,
when close to 1800 people all over Japan, mostly hemophiliacs, contracted
the AIDS virus after receiving treatment with products manufactured with
tainted blood.

__________________
Mr. Jan B. Wade
Blood Management Consultant
Enhance Outcomes - Control Cost
For Information Call - 360 296-1807
Email