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Article: Scientists test blood sterilization.
- Article from:
- Blood Weekly
- Article date:
- October 24, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 NewsRX. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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2002 OCT 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Several hundred transfusion recipients around the country - adults undergoing heart surgery and children with certain inherited anemias - are being enrolled in a bold experiment: They'll receive donated blood that has essentially been sterilized.
Today's blood supply is very safe because it undergoes numerous tests to ensure that donated pints containing infections like the AIDS virus are thrown out.
Testing isn't perfect, however, and a few tainted pints slip by. The August 2002 discovery that West Nile virus apparently can be spread through transfusions highlights another problem: Blood banks can't prevent ...