The State - News from March 7, 1985

A San Francisco blood bank became one of the first 10 in the nation to screen daily blood donations for AIDS contamination. The Irwin Memorial Blood Bank received an AIDS test kit after being approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. The bank has supplied blood to several people who died from acquired immune deficiency syndrome after transfusions. The blood test detects antibodies to the AIDS virus, but cannot actually determine whether the donor has AIDS or whether he or she will contract the fatal condition. All blood banks will use the test by the end of March, an Irwin spokesman said.