Safe Blood Starts with Me - libdoc.who.int - World Health Organization

Healy, American Association ofBlood Banks President Dr PaulNess, America’s Blood CentersPresident Dr Celso Bianco, andAmerican Blood ResourcesAssociation Chair Dr Toby Simon.The observance was organized inconjunction with the AmericanAssociation for World Health andthe US Department of Health andHuman Services.We know that the risk oftransfusion-transmitted infectionsis higher when blood productscome from paid or replacementdonors, rather than volunteer andrepeat donors, so we must meetthe challenge of promotingvoluntary blood donation, said DrAlleyne.Safe and adequate blood suppliesare needed in every country, yetsome lack the necessary infrastructureto manage bloodcollection and distribution. Inaddition, wars, civil unrest ornatural disasters can place severestrains on blood supplies. Screeningof all donated blood forinfection with HBV, HCV, syphilis,Trypanosoma cruzi, which causesChagas disease, and HIV is a veryimportant step which must betaken by all blood banks, said Dr.José Ramiro Cruz, PAHO’s regionaladvisor on blood safety.As a result of PAHO initiatives,there has been a significantincrease in the proportion of unitsof blood screened for HIV, HBV,HCV, and T. cruzi in the past fouryears. Laws, regulations, andstandards governing blood transfusionsin the Latin Americancountries have been promulgatedor amended. National bloodcommissions have beenestablished in some countries, andin others, technical committeeshave been formed to find ways toimprove the quality of the bloodbanks. PAHO has set up trainingprograms for national personneland a Distance Learning Programon Safe Blood and Blood Productsin 11 countries. Nationalinformation systems help evaluateprogress in each country andidentify priority areas for intervention.Academic institutions,professional associations, andothers also are involved toguarantee that the trainingreaches physicians, nurses,laboratory staff, and personnelwho work with blood donors.World Health DayCelebrations set for 7 AprilWorld Health Day 2000, focusingon the critical issue of safe blood,was observed in all communitiesaround the world.We want to raise the awareness inthe Americas about theimportance of blood safety andencourage every country toestablish national blood programsand pass blood safety legislation,Dr. Cruz said. Working together,we can improve the safety of bloodbanking services throughout theWestern Hemisphere, and thusachieve the goals adopted by theministers of health in this regionof screening all blood and havingall blood banks participate inquality control programs, headded.The Pan American HealthOrganization (PAHO) which servesas the regional office of WHO forthe Americas, works to improvehealth and raise living standardsin all the countries of theAmericas. ▲For further information on bloodsafety activities in the Americas,contact:Daniel EpsteinOffice of Public InformationWorld Health Organization/PanAmerican Health Organization525, 23rd Street N.W.Washington, D.C. 20037Tel: +1 202 974-3459Fax +1 202 974-3143E-mail: epsteind@paho.orgInternet: www.paho.org25 ▲ WORLD HEALTH DAY ▼ SAFE BLOOD STARTS WITH ME