Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 17 Jul 95
Canadian Red Cross Society officials said they were in the midst of their biggest recall ever with the withdrawal of thousands of units of plasma products needed by haemophiliacs, transplant patients and burn victims.
"Our plans are to identify and locate, in cooperation with the hospitals, all the affected products," Dr M.T. Aye, National Director of Blood Services for the Red Cross, said in a statement.
The Red Cross announced on Friday it was tracing plasma across Canada after being contacted by the daughter of a donor diagnosed with a virus called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).
The virus, believed to be caused by an infectious protien, eats away at the brain, causing a series of degenerative disorders that are always fatal. It is not known whether the virus causing the disease can by passed by contaminated blood.
Some medical experts worry CJD could be the next AIDS and the next threat to the world's blood supply after the spread of HIV, the AIDS virus, in the 1980s. As in the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, there is not yet a test for CJD.
The blood recall, conducted in conjunction with manufacturer Bayer Inc, could cause shortages as early as next week in crucial plasma products if replacements cannot be found in the United States and Europe.
Another product, albumin -- used to treat shock and burn victims -- will be in extremely short supply. Because of this, one version, albumin 25 percent, will not be withdrawn immediately so it can be used in emergencies.
The blood recall could be yet another blow to the Canadian Red Cross, which has been criticised for being slow to protect the blood supply from the AIDS virus in the 1980s.
Canada launched a commission of inquiry to find out why more than 1,000 Canadians were infected with AIDS and thousands more with hepatitis C from contaminated blood.
Durhane Wong-Rieger, president of the Canadian Haemophilia Society, said the Red Cross still does not have a system to track more than 50 percent of its blood supply.
"Even though they are doing a recall, we don't think they are going to be able to trace it all," she said.
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