Window period and blood donation

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

I wish to share my worries about the blood donation and the possibility of

spread of HIV Viruses in previously uninfected community. As at our place and i

believe at other places in India, the standard HIV screening and testing

procedure before labelling the blood as HIV free is the classical ELISA test

based upon Virus antibody titre in the blood of donor and we may miss the virus

in blood if the person concern is in window period and is donating the blood

without knowing his actual virus load status during that period.

I believe it is high time that we should advocate for availability of test at

the approved blood banks based on p-24, that becomes positive within 24-48 hrs

of infection. The cost is only thrice the cost of traditional ELISA test but by

this we may minimise the preventable transmission of virus to some extent.

I will aprreciate your suggestions.

Dr Diwakar Tejaswi

MBBS(Gold Medalist); MCH; FCCP; Ph.D.

Family Physician and Medical Director

RATNEI, International Health Organization

B-33, Indrapuri Colony, Patna 800014

India. Phone: +91-612-2586788/ 2351771/ 2354219/ 09835078298

Email: diwakartejaswi@...