There is obviously no shortage of controversy regarding the issue of
which members of society should be barred from donating blood, for how
long and how questions should be asked in order to screen out those who
may pose a risk of introducing transmissable blood-borne infections to to
the UKs blood supplies. If the risks are still that significant then if
the National blood service were really to do, as Matthew Sothern puts it,
all it could to ensure the safety of blood, should it not be considering
the introduction of PCR testing of donated blood for infectious agents
rather than be perpetually debating the minutiae of whom to turn away.
Rapid Response:
Safety of donated blood
There is obviously no shortage of controversy regarding the issue of
which members of society should be barred from donating blood, for how
long and how questions should be asked in order to screen out those who
may pose a risk of introducing transmissable blood-borne infections to to
the UKs blood supplies. If the risks are still that significant then if
the National blood service were really to do, as Matthew Sothern puts it,
all it could to ensure the safety of blood, should it not be considering
the introduction of PCR testing of donated blood for infectious agents
rather than be perpetually debating the minutiae of whom to turn away.
Competing interests: No competing interests