WASHINGTON, September 19, 2002
� America�s Blood Centers (ABC), an international network
of community blood centers that provide nearly half of
the U.S. and a quarter of the Canadian volunteer blood
supplies, is hoping to calm the public�s fears by providing
helpful information about blood in the wake of recent
reports of the of West Nile Virus being spread through
blood transfusions. ABC has been responding to questions
from the media and the public, such as:
Should people be afraid to receive a blood transfusion?
No. Many patients� lives are saved by blood transfusions, and for
most, the risk of not receiving blood is much higher
than the risk of contracting a virus through donated
blood.
If it is determined that these patients contracted West Nile through
blood transfusions, is the blood supply �tainted� with
the West Nile Virus?
No. The blood supply is made of individual donations from individual
donors which are then transfused to individual patients.
There is not one large vat of blood, as some people
may envision. The national blood supply is not infected
with West Nile. These are rare, isolated cases.
Why isn�t there a test for West Nile Virus that can be given to all
potential blood donors?
West Nile is a new virus in the United States. It takes time to develop
a test to detect viruses in blood. The national blood
collection organizations, the FDA, and test manufacturers
are working very hard to determine a practical way to
screen the blood supply for West Nile. If a test is
developed and recommended by FDA, blood centers will
use it.
How will blood centers screen for West Nile before a test becomes
available?
Blood centers will continue to screen donors as usual, by asking
questions about their general health, taking their temperature,
and deferring anyone who has flu like symptoms which
are common for people infected with West Nile Virus.
If a donor falls ill after their donation, they are
always asked to alert the blood center and the blood
is withdrawn from us.
Can�t people have West Nile Virus and not show any signs? What if
they donate blood?
Yes, people can carry the virus and be asymptomatic. Blood centers
always ask that donors contact blood centers if they
develop fever or any other disease after a donation,
and always withdraw these donations from their inventory.
In case the blood has been shipped to a hospital, the
hospital is notified, so physicians are prepared to
deal with a potential problem and address it as soon
as possible.
How long does West Nile Virus stay on the blood of an infected person?
After a person is bitten by a mosquito, the virus only circulate
in the blood from 1-5 days. This is very different from
HIV and HCV that stay in the circulation for the rest
of the person�s life.
Should people with mosquito bites be deferred from giving blood?
No. Especially during summer months, a majority of people have mosquito
bites or have had one in recent weeks. Deferring everyone
who had recently been bitten by a mosquito could put
the blood supply at greater risk � we would run the
risk of not having enough donors and therefore not enough
blood to meet patients� lifesaving needs. In addition,
as mentioned above, the virus only stays in the circulation
for a few days.
Should blood centers stop accepting donations until a test is developed?
Absolutely not. One of the greatest health risks our country could
face is a situation where we don�t have enough blood
to treat patients. More than four million Americans
need blood each year � without new collections, we could
run out of blood and patient care would be at severe
risk. A recent government study found that 2 million
Americans would die if the blood wasn�t there when it
was urgently needed.�
What we need is for people to continue to donate
blood if they are in good health. Case in point � the
organ donor had received blood from more than 60 donors
after being injured in a car accident. That is just
one example of how much blood can be used to treat patients
in need.
Can people contract West Nile Virus from donating blood?
No. Donating blood is 100% safe and donors are at no risk of catching
a virus.
How often can people donate blood?
People
can donate blood every 56 days, or every eight weeks
� up to six times annually. Plasma can be given twice
a week and platelets 24 times a year. Red
blood cells have a 42-day shelf life and platelets only
5 days, so the supply must constantly be replaced. Only
about eight million Americans donate blood � that�s
less than three percent of the population.��
*
"Plasma at Community Blood Services
can only be given once a month."
Community
Blood Services is a member of America�s Blood Centers,
the largest provider of blood products and services.
America�s Blood Centers� members are located in 45 states
and Canada, serving more than 125 million people at 450 blood donation sites. For 40 years, America�s
Blood Center�s members have been committed to serving
the needs of their local communities by saving lives
through volunteer blood donation.
For
more information on America�s Blood Centers, please
call America�s Blood Centers toll-free at 1-888-USBLOOD or visit our Web site at www.americasblood.org.
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