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Donated blood receives tougher screening for West Nile virus
Infection Control Monitor, September 10, 2004
Los Angeles County health officials plan to use tougher screening methods to test local blood supplies for the West Nile virus as a way of keeping transfusions from spreading the disease, the North County (CA) Times online reports.
While cases of West Nile resulting from a blood transfusion are rare, health officials will begin testing individual donations for the virus, rather than screen in batches. An Arizona man died two weeks ago after receiving a transfusion with blood contaminated with the mosquito-borne illness.
Although testing of larger batches of blood is less expensive than screening individual ones, officials worry that the former method is more time consuming and makes it more difficult to identify the source of tainted blood.
All blood is being tested before it is released to medical facilities, said Nancy Bowen, MD, Los Angeles County public health officer.
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