DOCSLIB.ORG

Bad Blood: Donor Discrimination in Canada

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Bad Blood: Donor Discrimination in Canada Bad Blood: Donor Discrimination in Canada Jack Stephenson In the early hours of the morning on June 28th, 1969, a group of plainclothes police officers conducted a routine raid on the Stonewall Inn of Greenwich Village, New York City.1 A struggle ensued as officers escorted those they presumed to be men dressed as women to police vans.2 Rather than dispersing, the removed patrons began shouting words of encouragement to the apprehended bar-goers in an unprecedented show of support.3 A group of activists leading the crowd began pelting police officers with coins, bottles, and bricks in an effort to allow the detained patrons to escape custody.4 As the astounded group of officers retreated into the bar, rioters began to celebrate what would later be known as the first major stand for LGBT rights.5 In the years that followed, the push for LGBT rights gained momentum. In Canada, the repeal of the discriminatory section 159 of the criminal code6 was closely followed by the Civil Marriage Act, recognizing gay marriage in Canada.7 However, despite all of these monumental steps in the fight for LGBT rights, gay and bisexual men are still faced with discrimination in the donation of blood and blood products. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and the concentration of affected individuals in the gay community is often cited as the reason men who have sex with men (MSM) are not eligible to donate blood in Canada.8 In the early 1980’s rare cancers and aggressive infections began developing in otherwise healthy gay men, confusing doctors and spurring anti-gay prejudice in North America.9 Health professionals began referring to this deterioration of the immune system as GRID, or ‘Gay-Related Immune Deficiency’.10 Many theories about the transmission of GRID circulated, but there was not yet any scientific evidence to support the misguided theories 1 Marotta Toby, “What Made Stonewall Different?,” The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide 13, no. 2 (2006): 33. 2 Ibid. 33. 3 Ibid. 33. 4 Ibid. 33. 5 Ibid. 33. 6 Department of Justice, “An Act Related to the Repeal of Section 159 of the Criminal Code,” Technical Paper: Bill C-36, Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, December 15, 2016, Date of Access January 22, 2019, https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pl/s159/qa_s159- qr_s159.html. 7 Canada, Department of Justice, Bill C-38: The Civil Marriage Act, Ottawa: Dept. of Justice Canada, 2005. 8 “About Men Who Have Sex with Men,” How Donation Works | Canadian Blood Services, Date of Access January 21, 2019, https://blood.ca/en/msm/about-men-who-have-sex-with-men. 9 “The Early Days of AIDS | CBC Radio,” CBCnews, November 27, 2014, Date of Access January 23, 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/radio/rewind/the-early-days-of-aids-1.2837672. 10 Ibid. 88 spun by the terrified public.11 For a long time, there was not even a reliable test to determine if someone had been infected.12 The term GRID was eventually dropped in favour of AIDS or ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’ after the discovery of an individual infected through a blood transfusion in 1982.13 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus responsible for the onset of AIDS was eventually isolated in 1984, but the damage had already been done.14 Between 1980 and 1985, at least 2000 Canadians were infected through blood transfusions, often from donors who were unaware that they themselves were infected.15 At this point in time, with so little information and no test to determine who was infected, the safest course of action was to bar high-risk individuals from donating blood. After the successful isolation of the human immunodeficiency virus in 1984, researchers began working on a method to reliably detect HIV in blood samples.16 During the AIDS crisis, the US Department of Health and Human Services gave top priority to the implementation of a test capable of detecting infected donations in the national blood supply.17 This ambitious endeavour succeeded in the spring of 1985, when the scientific journalAnalytical Chemistry released a screening test to detect the presence of the virus.18 The test employed a technique called “Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay” or “ELISA.”19 The test functions on the principle that anti-HIV antibodies will be present in the blood of someone who is infected with HIV. Broadly put, blood samples are tested against specific antigens that will be bound by the anti-HIV antibodies, indicating that someone is HIV positive. If no antibodies are bound to the antigen, the blood sample is HIV negative.20 As time passed, researcher’s increased understanding of HIV resulted in more reliable and sophisticated tests to assess donated blood. Furthermore, this advancement in HIV/AIDS medical research has led to the development of preventative and post-exposure medications to significantly lower the risk of contracting HIV through intercourse. Preventative medications such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can be taken on a regular basis to decrease 11 “An Epidemic of AIDS, an Epidemic of Fear - CBC Archives,” CBCnews, Date of Access January 23, 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/an-epidemic-of-aids-an-epidemic-of-fear. 12 Ibid. 13 “The early Days…” 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid. 16 Ibid. 17 “AIDS Antibody Screening Test,” Analytical Chemistry 57, no. 7 (June 1985): 773, doi:10.1021/ ac00284a727. 18 Ibid. 773. 19 “AIDS Antibody Screening Test,” Analytical Chemistry 57, no. 7 (June 1985): 773, doi:10.1021/ ac00284a727. 20 Ibid. 776. 89 the likelihood of contracting HIV, with high efficacy.21 Similarly, post-exposure prophylaxis (PeP) is offered to those who believe they have been exposed to HIV within the last 72 hours, and can reduce the risk of infection by as much as 80%.22 Both of these medications are now available to men who have sex with men, meaning that now more than ever, these individuals have the necessary resources to protect themselves against infection. Despite these medical advancements, men who have sex with men are still prohibited from donating blood by Canadian Blood Services.23 In response to Ontario’s blood crisis in 2016, the criteria barring men who have sex with men from donating blood was lowered from five years since their last sexual contact, to one year.24 Regardless of the implementation of these policies, Canadian Blood Services still receives between one and eight HIV positive blood donations per year, which are quickly detected and removed from the supply25. There is a brief window after initial contraction where HIV is undetectable in blood, but modern testing practices have significantly narrowed this window.26 The waiting period to donate blood or blood products after sexual contact could be lowered to 10 days without placing recipients of blood transfusions at any additional risk.27 Although it is an improvement over five years, the one year waiting period is still a wholly unnecessary obstacle to place in the way of potential donors. Canadian Blood Services has effectively banned the entire demographic of MSM from donating blood in Canada, despite fail-safes and redundancies. These harmful and discriminatory policies go beyond the donation of blood and blood products, reaching the federal level in the Ministry of Health. In the assessment of eligibility for organ donation, men exhibiting evidence of sexual contact with other men can be excluded from consideration on grounds of risk of transmission.28 The mandatory waiting period after sexual contact for only MSM signifies the assumption that all gay and bisexual men lead promiscuous and unsafe sexual lifestyles in comparison to any 21 “PrEP | HIV Basics,” HIV/AIDS, November 01, 2018, Date of Access January 21, 2019, https:// www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html. 22 “Post-exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent HIV Infection,” World Health Organization, December 04, 2014, Date of Access January 23, 2019, https://www.who.int/hiv/topics/prophylaxis/info/en/. 23 “About Men Who…” 24 Ibid. 25 “Backgrounder: Donor Testing - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV),” How Donation Works | Canadian Blood Services, Date of Access January 21, 2019, https://blood.ca/en/media/ backgrounder-donor-testing-human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 Ministry of Health. “Safety of Human Cells, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation,” Guidance Document for Cell, Tissue and Organ Establishments, https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ hc-sc/documents/services/drug-health-product-review-approval/biologics-radiopharmaceuticals- genetic-therapies/regulatory-initiatives/cells-tissues-organs/guidance-document-safety-human- cells-tissues-organs-transplantation-eng.pdf. 90 given heterosexual donor. These policies are not only harmful to the LGBT community, they also deprive patients in need of blood and blood products. If a waiting period after sexual contact is absolutely essential to the safety of recipients, it should not be limited to only MSM. In an age of equality and scientific knowledge, these antiquated and prejudiced policies benefit neither the LGBT community, or the patients in need. 91 Bibliography “About Men Who Have Sex with Men.” How Donation Works | Canadian Blood Services. Date of Access January 21, 2019. https://blood.ca/en/msm/about-men-who-have-sex-with-men. “AIDS Antibody Screening Test.” Analytical Chemistry 57, no. 7 (June 1985): 773-78. doi:10.1021/ac00284a727. Altman, Lawrence K. “New Homosexual Disorder Worries Health Officials.” The New York Times, May 11, 1982. “An Epidemic of AIDS, an Epidemic of Fear - CBC Archives.” CBCnews. Date of Access January 23, 2019. https://www.cbc. ca/archives/entry/an-epidemic-of-aids-an-epidemic-of-fear. “Backgrounder: Donor Testing - Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).” How Donation Works | Canadian Blood Services. Date of Access4 January 21, 2019.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Clinical Guide to Transfusion
    CLINICAL GUIDE TO TRANSFUSION Chapter 15: Irradiated, Washed and CMV Seronegative Blood Components Oksana Prokopchuk-Gauk, MD, FRCPC, and Ziad Solh, MD, MSc, FRCPC Previous publication date: August 2017 BACKGROUND Modified or specialty blood components may be useful in specific clinical settings to reduce the risk of transfusion-related harm. This chapter describes the preparation of irradiated, washed, and CMV seronegative cellular blood components (red blood cells and platelets) and the clinical setting in which they are of greatest benefit. IRRADIATED BLOOD COMPONENTS TO PREVENT TRANSFUSION- ASSOCIATED GRAFT VERSUS HOST DISEASE Characteristics of transfusion-associated graft versus host disease Transfusion-associated graft versus host disease (TA-GvHD) is a consequence of transfusion of cellular blood components containing viable T-lymphocytes into a recipient whose immune system is not capable of eliminating these cells. This occurs because the host immune system is either weakened, or does not recognize the infused cells as foreign. When the recipient fails to eliminate the donor lymphocytes, they proliferate and attack recipient tissues. Two populations identified to be at especially high risk of TA-GvHD include: 1. Recipients of directed donations from family members or HLA-matched platelet transfusions, when there are recipient-donor Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) similarities. 2. Immunocompromised recipients. TA-GvHD is a rare but serious transfusion complication with a mortality rate over 90%. Symptoms include fever, maculopapular or erythematous rash, diarrhea, hepatitis and progressive bone marrow failure. Initial signs may appear eight to ten days post-transfusion and progress to irreversible pancytopenia three to four weeks post- transfusion. Death from bleeding or infection often occurs one to three weeks after initial symptom onset.
    [Show full text]
  • Reconsidering the Lifetime Deferral of Blood Donation by Men Who Have Sex with Men
    keep-wainberg_Layout 1 18/08/10 1:32 PM Page 1321 CMAJ Analysis Reconsidering the lifetime deferral of blood donation by men who have sex with men Mark A. Wainberg PhD, Talia Shuldiner BA, Karine Dahl MD, Norbert Gilmore PhD MD Previously published at www.cmaj.ca he decision by blood agencies in many developed Key points countries to defer the donation of blood by men who have sex with men was justified when it was first • As of 1983, in Canada and many other countries, blood T donation has been deferred indefinitely for any man who implemented, in 1983, given that there was no effective has had sex with another man even once since 1977. mechanism to screen for HIV infection until screening for • In 1983, given the lack of scientific knowledge about HIV HIV antibodies became available in 1985. Thereafter, the and AIDS, this approach was justified, because the exclusion of these men has continued, on the assumption prevalence of HIV among men who had sex with men was that the higher seroprevalence of HIV in this group might much higher than among most other individuals, and lead to greater numbers of transfusion-related infections if there was no blood test to screen donors for HIV infection. blood screening were to fail. In 2010, many are asking • The current availability of highly sensitive methods to screen for HIV-positive samples argues against the maintenance of whether all men who have had sex with men should still be a lifetime ban for all men who have had sex with men.
    [Show full text]
  • Measuring Quality in Kidney Transplantation: Canadian Consensus Workshop
    Measuring Quality in Kidney Transplantation: Canadian Consensus Workshop November 27-28, 2019 Toronto, Ontario, Canada TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. 2 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 METHODS/PARTICIPANTS ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Workshop Process ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Speakers ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Interactive Group Work ........................................................................................................................................ 8 SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP RESULTS ...................................................................................................................... 8 Indicator Selection ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Data Collection and Implementation .................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Open Access Book Chapter
    ERC-OAPEN-2015, Deposit cover page Open Access Book Chapter Published version Chapter title Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus as a Case Study: Using a Precautionary Risk Management Approach for Emerging Blood-Borne Pathogens in Canada Title in English Author(s) Michael G. Tyshenko DOI 10.5772/38572 Copyright holder The Authors License CC BY 3.0 license Language English Original publication Book title The Continuum of Health Risk Assessments Title in English Publisher Intech Publication date 2012 ISBN 9809533075827 DOI Editor(s) Michael G. Tyshenko ERC Grant information Project title EC | VOLDIES Project acronym Voldies Grant number 228064 ERC principal Robert Stephen John Sparks investigator OAPEN Foundation received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 683680). 3 Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus as a Case Study: Using a Precautionary Risk Management Approach for Emerging Blood-Borne Pathogens in Canada Michael G. Tyshenko et al.* McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 1. Introduction In October 2009 it was reported that 68 of 101 patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in the United States, when tested, were infected with a novel gamma retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) (Lombardi et al., 2009). XMRV is a recently discovered human gammaretrovirus first described in prostate cancers that shares significant homology with murine leukemia virus (MLV) (Ursiman et al., 2006). It is known that XMRV can cause leukemias and sarcomas in several rodent, feline, and primate species but has not been shown to cause disease in humans.
    [Show full text]
  • Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation System Progress Report 2018 Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation System Progress Report 2018
    Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation System Progress Report 2018 Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation System Progress Report 2018 Production of this report has been made possible through financial contributions from Health Canada and the provincial and territorial governments. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the federal, provincial or territorial governments. The people portrayed in the images are donors, recipients, staff or partners and to them we offer our special thanks. Front Cover: Shak Pawar & Gurjit Cheema Shak Pawar is a living kidney donor and Gurjit Cheema is a kidney transplant recipient. As Shak was not a direct match for Gurjit, the transplant was facilitated through the Kidney Paired Donation program. Shak and Gurjit are married and since their donation and transplant, they have grown their family and now have a young son named Kasen. The family is actively involved in raising awareness for organ donation. © Canadian Blood Services, 2019. All rights reserved. Extracts from this report may be reviewed, reproduced or translated for educational purposes, research or private study, but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes. Any use of this information should be accompanied by an acknowledgement of Canadian Blood Services as the source. Any other use of this publication is strictly prohibited without prior permission from Canadian Blood Services. For more information, please contact: Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Canadian Blood Services 1800 Alta Vista Drive Ottawa, ON K1G 4J5 Canada Email: [email protected] This report is accessible online at https://professionaleducation.blood.ca/en/organs-and-tissues/reports/system-progress-reports Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation - System Progress Report 2018 2 Canadian Blood Services sincerely acknowledges the generosity of the organ and tissue donors, and their families and loved ones, who gave so selflessly to provide hope to transplant candidates across the country.
    [Show full text]
  • CSTM 2019 Abstract Booklet
    CSTM 2019 Abstract Booklet Abstract Title Page # Poster # Presentation Reductions in Red Blood Cell Shelf Life Negatively Affects June 1 - 1530 to Outdate Rates or Supplier Logistics 1700 1 1 Imperial Ballroom Are you a Match? International Collaboration for Rare June 1 - 1530 to Phenotype Transfusion 1700 2 Imperial Ballroom A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Platelet June 1 - 1530 to Outdates 1700 3 2 Imperial Ballroom Ontario Bedside Audit of Blood Administration: 2018 June 1 - 1530 to 1700 4 3 Imperial Ballroom Provincial Platelet Audit June 1 - 1530 to 1700 5 4 Imperial Ballroom Testing the Ontario Contingency Plan for the June 1 - 1530 to Management of Blood Shortages - 2018 Simulation 1700 Exercise 7 Imperial Ballroom Administration of Intravenous Immunoglobulin through a Blood Warmer 8 5 Ontario AB Plasma Audit 2018 9 6 Evaluating Perpartum Transfusion Risk and Pretransfusion Testing in Fraser Health 11 7 Impact of Climate on Platelet Discard Rates 12 8 Patient and caregiver experiences: Survey results from the 2017 transition of intravenous immunoglobulin products in Québec 13 9 Maintaining an inventory of rare reagent red cells and antisera across multiple reference laboratories at Canadian Blood Services 15 10 BC Provincial Blood Coordinating Office, 20 years of promoting excellence in transfusion medicine through ongoing engagement, innovative technology, and best practice 17 11 Assessing The Ottawa Hospital’s Use of Irradiated Blood June 1 - 1530 to Products in CLL Patients Treated with Purine Analog 1700 Therapy:
    [Show full text]
  • Plasma Donation in Canada (Source : Health-Canada
    Plasma Donation in Canada (Source : Health-Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/brgtherap/activit/fs-fi/plasma- eng.php) 1. Canada has one of the safest blood systems in the world, thanks to the strict standards set out in Health Canada's Food and Drugs Act and Regulations for the collection of blood and plasma. 2. In Canada, blood used for transfusion is collected solely by the Canadian Blood Services or by Héma-Québec and only from volunteer donors. Canadians are encouraged to donate blood regularly, if possible, as part of maintaining Canada's voluntary donation-based blood transfusion system. 3. Whereas plasma used for the manufacturing of plasma products may be collected from paid donors, this is not a new practice. In fact, approximately 70% of the immune globulins available in Canada are made in whole or in part from plasma from paid donors. These lifesaving products are extremely safe, due to advancements in blood manufacturing technology which now includes steps to inactivate any viruses or other contaminants. Paid plasma donors are currently criticalto ensuring a sufficient supply of blood products in Canada. What is plasma and plasma donation? 4. Plasma is the pale-yellow liquid component of blood that normally holds the blood cells in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the total volume of an individual's blood. 5. Plasma donation is the process of collecting a donor's blood, separating the plasma portion of the blood from the blood cells, and then returning the blood cells to the donor. This process takes between 2 and 3 hours and is known as plasmapheresis.
    [Show full text]
  • 2008-2010 Report Card on Canada's Blood System
    2008- 2010 REPORT CARD ON CANADA’S BLOOD SYSTEM PREPARED BY THE Blood Safety and Supply Committee OF THE Canadian Hemophilia Society JANUARY 27, 2011 2008-2010 Report Card on Canada’s Blood System Executive Summary Blood system very safe but accountability takes giant step backwards he 2008-2010 report on Canada’s blood system, prepared by the Canadian Hemophilia Society, Thas found that blood, blood products and their alternatives are very safe and in sufficient supply; however, the system’s accountability to recipients has taken a giant step backwards. According to Canadian Blood Services (CBS) by-laws, and following recommendations of the 1997 Krever Report on Canada’s Blood System, two of the 12 CBS Board positions are reserved for persons with “relevant knowledge or experience with organizations representing persons consuming blood and blood products.” Over the last decade, almost all of these positions have been held by individuals with very close links to recipient organizations and extensive knowledge of safety and supply issues. However, during the 2009 and 2010 Board renewal process, the Members of CBS, the provincial/territorial Ministers of Health (except Quebec), named both “public directors” with no apparent links to recipient organizations and little knowledge of key issues from a recipient perspective. A number of recipient organizations have denounced the selection process as lacking transparency and resulting in the exclusion of an effective recipient voice at the top level of decision-making at CBS… to no avail. Members of recipient organizations see their exclusion as a clear contravention of CBS’ own by-laws, and a giant step backwards in accountability.
    [Show full text]
  • Negotiating Trust in the Canadian Blood System: Governance and the Politics of Public Accountability in the Wake of the Tainted Blood Scandal
    Negotiating Trust in the Canadian Blood System: Governance and the Politics of Public Accountability in the Wake of the Tainted Blood Scandal by JAY FIDDLER B.A. Carleton University, 1997 M.A. The University of British Columbia, 2004 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Sociology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) May 2011 © Jay Fiddler, 2011 Abstract Blood and its derivatives are critical public health resources. Therefore, the ability to ensure a sufficient and safe supply of blood is a central role for governments and blood organizations. The challenges involved in ensuring this complex resource became evident following the contamination of blood supplies in the 1980s and 1990s with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C (HCV). In Canada, this became known as the “tainted blood scandal”, with approximately 2000 people infected with HIV and more than 160,000 people infected with HCV through contaminated blood products. This crisis resulted in the loss of public trust in the Canadian blood system and in those responsible for its management. The public outcry led blood experts and governments to adopt more efficient ways of anticipating and managing emergent threats to blood safety by implementing the precautionary principle. These efforts also aimed to retain their legitimacy and rebuild public trust by integrating formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in risk governance. By using stakeholder engagement as a case study, this study focuses on the institutional processes of rebuilding trust in the Canadian blood system following the tainted blood scandal.
    [Show full text]
  • Bloody Well Pay Them the Case for Voluntary Remunerated Plasma Collections
    Bloody Well Pay Them The case for Voluntary Remunerated Plasma Collections Peter Jaworski, Ph.D Bloody Well Pay Them The case for Voluntary Remunerated Plasma Collections Peter Jaworski, Ph.D The Adam Smith Institute has an open access policy. Copyright remains with the copyright holder, but users may download, save and distribute this work in any format provided: (1) that the Adam Smith Institute is cited; (2) that the web address adamsmith.org is published together with a prominent copy of this notice; (3) the text is used in full without amendment [extracts may be used for criticism or review]; (4) the work is not re–sold; (5) the link for any online use is sent to info@ adamsmith.org. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect any views held by the publisher or copyright owner. They are published as a contribution to public debate. © Adam Smith Research Trust 2020 CONTENTS Executive summary 5 About the author 7 Acknowledgements 7 Introduction 11 1 The global supply of plasma 25 2 Resistance to modernisation: myths and misconceptions 48 Conclusion 61 Appendix A Resistance to modernisation: Naive moralisms 63 THE ADAM SMITH INSTITUTE 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Blood plasma is used in a wide, and growing, range of life-saving therapies. It is now being trialled to treat Covid-19, including by the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. • There are significant global shortages of blood plasma. Demand is growing at a rate of 6-10% per year. Three-quarters of people do not have access to the appropriate plasma therapy, largely outside of developed countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Surveillance Report 2017 Executive Summary
    Surveillance Report 2017 Executive summary We are pleased to present the sixth annual report describing transmissible blood-borne infection surveillance. High quality and timely surveillance is key to the safety of the blood supply. This includes monitoring of transmissible disease markers that the blood is tested for (including bacteria) and investigation of any reports of possible transfusion transmission, as well as a horizon scan for any new pathogens that may pose a risk now or in the future. The most up-to-date tests for pathogens are used to identify infectious donations and prevent their release for patient use. In 2017, transmissible infection rates per 100,000 donations continued to be very low: HIV 0.2, hepatitis C 6.1, hepatitis B 6.9, HTLV 1.5 and syphilis 5.4. Selective testing of donors at risk of Chagas’ disease did not identify any positive donations, and there were 7 donations positive for West Nile Virus. Residual risk estimates of a potentially infectious donation from a unit of blood are very low at 1 in 21.4 million donations for HIV, 1 in 12.6 million donations for HCV and 1 in 7.5 million donations for HBV. Lookback and traceback investigations did not identify any transfusion transmitted infections. This year the maximum storage time for a platelet unit increased from 5 days to 7 days. This permited the introduction of an enhanced bacterial detection protocol and more units with bacterial growth were intercepted, while improving platelet inventory management. Of 581 potential peripheral stem cell or bone marrow donors tested, 3 (0.5%) were positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen.
    [Show full text]
  • British Columbia Blood Cancer Resource Guide
    British Columbia Blood Cancer Resource Guide Contact: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada BC/Yukon Region 303-1401 West Broadway. Vancouver, BC V6H 1H6 604.733.2873 Toll-free 1.866.547.5433 www.llscanada.org Updated: October 2015 The mission of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. This resource guide has been developed to make it easier for those affected by blood cancers (patients, family or other caregivers) to access a complex healthcare and social service system and find the services to match your individual situation and style. This guide is a “work in progress,” not a complete list, and your comments and suggestions are welcome. Knowing what you need and expressing those needs are the first steps in finding information and support. A cancer diagnosis can bring a sense of vulnerability and some people feel uncomfortable asking for assistance. However, you are not alone in this experience, so please let others know what you need! This includes family members, as most organizations provide services for patients and their immediate family. If during your search for services you cannot find what you need, please inform staff about the need anyway. Identifying needs is the way to raise awareness and create change. Even if a particular organization does not offer a service, staff may be able to connect you with others who are working toward the same goals. There are two other resource guides available: 1. Adolescents and Young Adult (AYA) Blood Cancer Resource Guide for BC - written for young people affected by blood cancer.
    [Show full text]