It looks like another disease is jumping across national boundaries in this era of jet travel and mass migrations (see: Blood Donations in U.S. Testing Positive for Chagas' Disease). Chagas' disease has now arrived in the U.S. and is starting to have an impact on both our blood supply and the cost of processing units for transfusion. Below is an excerpt from the relevant story (boldface emphasis mine):
In the ten months since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed the first blood-screening test for Chagas' disease, some 241 blood donations in the United States have tested positive, indicating donor exposure to the parasite known to cause this serious and potentially fatal parasitic infection, according to data released today at the annual meeting of American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). The test is manufactured by Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. Chagas'-positive donations have been reported in 34 states with the highest concentration in California, Florida and Texas, according to data compiled by the AABB....[Cases of Chagas disease] have been extremely rare, or have gone undocumented, in the United States. Dr. Susan Stramer, executive scientific officer for the America Red Cross, said blood safety experts are investigating 20 cases of possible insect-to-human transmissions with strong evidence suggesting that nine cases may have occurred in the U.S. Also, the Red Cross is investigating four possible transmissions via blood transfusions.....The American Red Cross was among the first blood collection agencies in the U.S. to begin testing donations for Chagas' in late January, following FDA approval of Ortho's blood-screening test in December 2006. Today, approximately 70 percent of all blood donations in the U.S. are now being screened for Chagas'.
Here's a brief description of Chagas' disease from the Wikipedia:
Chagas' disease (also called American trypanosomiasis) is a human tropical parasitic disease which occurs in the Americas, particularly in South America. Its pathogenic agent is a flagellate protozoan named Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to humans and other mammals mostly by blood-sucking assassin bugs of the subfamily Triatominae (Family Reduviidae).
One certainly needs to commend Ortho for having developed the test for Chagas' disease. With 70% of U.S. blood donations being screened with their test, it's a prime example of a company doing well by doing good. I also suspect that the South American market for the test is not yet fully developed. In another life, I was a blood banker and spent a lot of time and energy studying blood utilization and unnecessary blood transfusions. I have not revisited this topic in many years but I assume that blood transfusions are no longer performed to "touch up" a patient as in a former era. However, add this news about Chagas' disease to your list of one more reason not to receive a blood transfusion unless it is absolutely necessary.
Comments