Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Thursday, Sept. 30, 1999
Eileen McNamara, Associated Press Writer
Only 16 of the 35 member states of the Pan American Health Organization screen all their blood samples for hepatitis and the AIDS virus, said Dr. Jose Ramiro Cruz.
He spoke at the organization's annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where health ministers planning regional policy are being urged to take measures to ensure a safe blood supply throughout the Americas. The only countries complying so far are the United States, Canada, eight Caribbean states and six Latin American countries.
As a result, as many as 20,000 people a year are infected with Hepatitis C, a liver disease that can be fatal, Cruz estimated. And thousands may be infected with Hepatitis B and HIV, he said.
He blamed inefficiency and lack of controls for the failure. In a sign of disparate efficiency levels, Cruz noted that it costs some countries as little as $30 to test, store and otherwise process one blood sample, and others as much as $150.
"We are convinced that if screening was centralized, or at least done regionally in each country, it would make for more efficient use of resources," Cruz told the health ministers.
On top of that, some countries are too reliant on blood suppliers who may not report their risk factors, including paid donors. Only the United States, Canada, Aruba, Caracas and Cuba reported that all blood donations are voluntary. Brazil's delegation said that country lately has stopped paying donors.
The problem of non-voluntary donations is most serious in Central and South America, where some countries acknowledge paying up to 25 percent of blood donors, Cruz said.
Even if screening is conducted, it may not be sensitive enough, Cruz said. He cited a survey in one Latin American country, where only 45 percent of infected blood samples tested positive during screening. He declined to identify the country by name.
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