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IS HINI VIRUS IN OUR BLOOD SUPPLY
Blood recipients and donors are asking if the HINI virus could be in our blood supply. This is causing a drop in our blood supply, and a government-funded study is testing samples of blood donors for viruses in the blood.
Many donors are calling a day or two after giving blood, saying they have flu like symptoms. Their donated blood is discarded because of government regulations.
BLOOD SHORTAGES DEVELOPING
Many potential donors have flu like symptoms and are not going to blood collection agencies. Because of absenteeism, many blood drives have had to be canceled.
Blood centers still have ample blood supplies, but are starting to worry, and are holding blood only for emergencies, saving the blood only for the sickest patients.
American Blood Centers collect about half the blood in the United States. Over 27% of these centers are showing a decrease in collection rates. There is a 15% drop in college collections and from corporations, where layoffs have hurt Bush drives.
Rates have dropped dramatically in high schools (a large portion of their donor base). In recent years, most states have allowed students as young as 16 to donate. Collections at high schools have also dropped (up to 35%) because of absenteeism, caused by the flu.
Due to the tough economy, more people putting off elective surgeries. With the holiday season coming, it is harder to recruit donors. The Red Cross is networking on Face book and Twitter to get the word out of the need for more blood.
BLOOD TESTING
Blood centers separate the blood into red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The blood undergoes 11 tests for infectious diseases, and HIV. After testing, the blood is labeled, stored at appropriate temperatures, and sent to hospitals. Centers typically hold 3 to 5 days worth of blood, and this may soon not be enough.
There has been very little clinical testing for viruses in our blood supply. In the late 1980s, the NIH had a program known as “retrovirus epidemiology donor study, called Reds, to find a prevalence of HIV among blood donors and the risk of transmissions. In 2006 the second phase of that study was begun. It was to test whether influenza virus could be detected in blood. They tested hundreds of blood donors for seasonal influenza virus and did not find any influenza virus in the blood. They are now retesting this to see if perhaps they were wrong.
BLOOD DONATION REGULATIONS
Regulations require turning away would-be donors who have any symptoms of illness. Also, anyone who gets sick after giving blood is asked to notify the center so that his or her blood can be removed from the blood inventory.
The swine flu has turned out to be less infectious than all the medical experts had initially expected. Patients who receive blood transfusions, have weak immune systems, and a flu infection transmitted through the blood could be extremely dangerous increasing their risk of death.
To make the environment as safe as possible for blood donors, along with screening out obviously ill patients, blood centers have created extra hand hygiene and infection prevention precautions
COMMENTARY
With more and more people reporting flu like symptoms after donating blood, it would seem appropriate that researchers would be able to evaluate if these donors had the virus in the blood when the donation was given, and before the blood is discarded.
Researchers are constantly studying the risk of infection and harm from blood transfusions and harmful reactions from donated blood. The same should be done during this swine flu outbreak, to see if the HINI virus is present in the blood.
Investigations are being conducted on whether influenza virus can be detected in the blood: it is being evaluated by the Blood Systems Research Institute in San Francisco. New samples are taken, in case the assumption that HINI will behave like seasonal flu influenza, is wrong.
When any new threat is discovered, the FDA has always acts quickly. With some doubts, that HINI virus may be present in current blood donations, it might be wise to check the blood of patients who after blood donations, call, stating they have flu like symptoms. This would be extremely revealing, and would make us all comfortable that our blood supply is indeed safe.
Visit www.drneedles.com for more discussion of controversial medical subjects.
Sources
American Blood Centers/ WSJ 11.10.2009
American Red Cross and FDA regulations
NIH Program: Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study (Reds)
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