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Blood-safety study says donors not always honest
March 25, 1997
Web posted at: 11:52 p.m. EST (0452 GMT)From Correspondent Al Hinman
ATLANTA (CNN) -- The American Red Cross says the nation's blood supply is safe. But a new study has found that not all donors are honest.
The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows a tiny percentage of donors fail to report they are in one of more than one dozen risk categories and could be at risk of spreading an infectious disease.
Just in case, the Red Cross tests all donated blood.
Testing positive for HIV, the AIDS virus, is one risk factor blood donors are supposed to divulge before giving blood.
"They do not consider themselves at risk, or they cannot discuss it with a counselor for fear of some sort of reprisal," said Tony Braswell, executive director of AID Atlanta.
In the study, donors in five large U.S. cities were asked the same questions they were asked before giving blood: whether they use injection or intravenous drugs or if they have had sex with a known intravenous drug user.
The subjects were also asked if they have ever had sex with a man who's ever had sex with another man or if they have had sex with a male or female prostitute.
Fewer than 2 percent of more than 34,000 donors told a different story at the blood bank. Those who aren't honest there may lie because of peer pressure, researchers say.
"They're at the blood center with friends or co-workers and it would be embarrassing for them," said Alan Williams of the American Red Cross.
Although most blood centers offer an easy-to-use anonymous sticker that will alert the center NOT to use a pint of blood, some would-be donors still feel they have to lie. At AID-Atlanta, people are counseled to be open about their HIV or AIDS status.
The Red Cross insists the nation's blood supply is the safest it's ever been.
"We have highly sophisticated American Red Cross laboratory tests in place that would catch virtually anyone with a risk factor," Williams said.
Related sites:
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- The American Red Cross
- Journal of the American Medical Association
- AID-Atlanta
- The NIH Office of AIDS Research
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