FYI - Blood Donations in U.S. Testing Positive for Chagas' Disease

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Saturday, October 20,

2007

Blood Donations in U.S. Testing

Positive for Chagas' Disease

In the 10 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, Inc.

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.

Also called American trypanosomiasis, Chagas' disease is an infection caused by the blood-borne

parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, or T.cruzi. The disease is endemic to most countries in Central and South

America, as well as Mexico.

Transmission occurs through insect bites, blood transfusions,

organ transplants and via infected pregnant women to children in utero.

Early infection is usually mild and unrecognized, but persists lifelong and may

lead to organ damage, particularly of the heart and esophagus, causing an

estimated 50,000 deaths annually worldwide. Infection

also can be severe in people whose immune systems are suppressed, such as organ

transplant recipients.

During presentations at the conference today, blood safety experts also say

they are investigating new cases of transmissions of Chagas'

disease that may have occurred through blood transfusions and via insect bites

from bugs known to carry the parasite. Such cases have

been extremely rare, or have gone undocumented, in the United

States. Dr. Stramer, executive scientific officer for the America Red

Cross, says 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. Details of these

cases were not disclosed.

" While we have known that Chagas' disease was

present in North America, the

numbers of Chagas'-positive blood donations, as well

as new reports of transmission of infection to persons from bugs, are

surprising, " says Dr. Maguire, M.D., director, International Health

Division, University of land School of Medicine. Maguire

is the former chief of the parasitic diseases branch at the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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'.

In additional developments, public health authorities in the state of Arizona have made Chagas' a " reportable " disease.

Three southern states are considering similar action. A

reportable disease is one that must be reported to federal, state, or local

health officials when diagnosed -- like active tuberculosis, hepatitis, gonorrhea and HIV, for example.

According to the CDC, as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central

America and South

America have Chagas'

disease. Most do not know they are infected. Chagas' disease can be treated

successfully if detected soon after the infection occurs, but there is no cure

once the disease has entered the chronic stage.

Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas