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PAHO NEWS:  Press Releases, Job Vacancies, and Other
Information from the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) via the Canadian Society for International Health
(CSIH) http://www.csih.org; Technical Representative in
Canada for PAHO
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New Initiative Launched on World Health Day Rallies the
Americas on Blood Safety
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Washington, DC (PAHO) April 7, 2000-- Unsafe blood and
blood shortages threaten the health of people who need
blood transfusions in some countries of the Americas, and
a new initiative is being launched to encourage more blood
donations and raise awareness of the importance of having
a safe and adequate blood supply at all times, said Dr.
George A.O. Alleyne, Director of the Pan American Health
Organization.

The initiative is being launched today, World Health Day
2000, which focuses on the critical issue of safe blood
throughout the Americas and the world, with the theme:
Safe Blood Starts With Me, Safe Blood Saves Lives.

"It is critical for all countries to join in the effort to
raise awareness of the importance of safe, adequate blood
supplies and for people everywhere donate blood at least
twice a year. Safe blood, without any infectious agents,
can only come through adequate screening and testing of
blood. All citizens of the Americas must be assured of
receiving safe blood when they need it," Dr. Alleyne said.
"We want people in the countries to understand and accept
blood donation as a desirable, altruistic act, and health
workers to discourage replacement donation and retain and
educate volunteer donors," he added

Blood for transfusion is universally obtained from
voluntary, unpaid donors in only a small proportion of
countries and territories in the Americas. At the national
level, only Aruba, Curacao, Cuba, Canada, and the United
States, report 100% voluntary donations. Only 16 countries
-- eight in the English-speaking Caribbean, six in Latin
America, and Canada and the United States -- report
screening 100 percent of donated units for HIV, HBV, and
HCV.

Available data for the Americas, excluding Canada and the
United States, indicate that 99 percent of all units of
blood collected are screened for HIV and Hepatitis B Virus
(HBV) and 60 percent for HCV. This means that, annually,
around 50,000 units are transfused that have not been
screened for HIV and HBV, and around 1,500,000 units are
transfused that have not been screened for HCV, according
to PAHO figures from the countries.

Worldwide, according to a new World Health Organization
(WHO) report, unsafe transfusions and unclean injection
practices each year cause an estimated 8 to 16 million
hepatitis B virus infections, 2.3 to 4.7 million hepatitis
C virus infections, and 80,000 to 160,000 HIV infections.
In a World Health Day ceremony today at PAHO, Dr. Alleyne
accepted a donation of $100,000 from the Pan American
Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) for PAHO's new
regional blood safety initiative. It was given by Sandra
de Castro Buffington, Vice President of Corporate
Communications for BuenaSalud.com, and a member of PAHEF's
Board of Trustees.
(more)

For more information, photographs, print PSA, footage
and/or B-roll please call Daniel Epstein, PAHO Office of
Public Information: Tel (202) 974-3459, Fax (202) 974-
3143, [log in to unmask] , 525 Twenty-Third Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037, USA - <http://www.paho.org>

The World Health Day observation in Washington featured
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, American Red Cross
President and CEO Dr. Bernadine Healy, American
Association of Blood Banks President Dr. Paul Ness,
America's Blood Centers President Dr. Celso Bianco, and
American Blood Resources Association Chair Dr. Toby Simon.
The observance was organized in conjunction with the
American Association for World Health and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.

"We know that the risk of transfusion-transmitted
infections is higher when blood products come from paid or
replacement donors, rather than volunteer and repeat
donors, so we must meet the challenge of promoting
voluntary blood donation," said Dr. Alleyne.

Safe and adequate blood supplies are needed in every
country, Dr. Alleyne said, yet some lack the necessary
infrastructure to manage blood collection and
distribution. In addition, wars, civil unrest or natural
disasters can place severe strains on blood supplies.

One key to safe blood supplies is voluntary donations
instead of paid donors or those who give blood for family
members or friends, he said. Screening of all donated
blood for infection with hepatitis B and C, syphilis,
Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas' disease, and human
immunodeficiency virus is a very important step which must
be taken by all blood banks, said Dr. Jose Ramiro Cruz,
PAHO's regional advisor on blood safety.

He noted that as a result of PAHO initiatives, there has
been a significant increase in the proportion of units of
blood screened for HIV, HBV, HCV, and T. cruzi in the past
four years. Laws, regulations, and standards governing
blood transfusions in the Latin American countries have
been promulgated or amended. National blood commissions
have been established in some countries, and in others,
technical committees have been formed to find ways to
improve the quality of the blood banks. PAHO has set up
training programs for national personnel and a Distance
Learning Program on Safe Blood and Blood Products in 11
countries. National information systems help evaluate
progress in each country and identify priority areas for
intervention. Academic institutions, professional
associations, and others also are involved to guarantee
that the training reaches physicians, nurses, laboratory
staff, and personnel who work with blood donors.

World Health Day, observed annually on April 7 in the 191
member countries of the United Nations, was established by
the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide a forum for
discussion about health conditions worldwide. Each year
World Health Day focuses on a different health issue of
critical importance to all nations of the world. Past
themes have included cardiovascular health, injuries and
violence, oral health, healthy cities/communities,
immunization, infectious disease, maternal health and
healthy aging.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) which serves
as the regional office of WHO for the Americas, works to
improve health and raise living standards in all the
countries of the Americas.

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For more information, contact CSIH at 241-5785, Ext. 305,
or visit the CSIH website at http://www.csih.org
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