Letters | China is not alone in blood plasma HIV scares, but must find out why it happened
- Even developed countries have reported contamination in plasma, in spite of donor selection and screening of donated blood
- Blood donated by volunteers that has been screened in a blood bank is safer than that donated by family members or by paid donors
As someone who visited China and toured Chinese medical facilities in the early 1980s at the invitation of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, I am impressed by the current advancement of medical sciences in the country, compared to nearly 40 years ago.
Looking at the medical literature, we find even developed countries have reported contamination in plasma, in spite of donor selection and screening of donated blood for HIV-1 and HIV-2. As an additional measure to reduce the risk of viral contamination, screening of individual donated units and minipools for Hepatitis B RNA is mandatory in Germany.
In general, volunteer blood is much safer than paid-for blood and a volunteer family donor may not be as safe as “screened blood” from a blood bank. My experience as a blood banker and a former member of the American Association of Blood Banks, as well as international research findings, show “altruistic” volunteer blood donors are safer than “directed” blood donors, such as paid donors or family and friends of patients.