Red Cross Will Check Donated Blood for Virus
The American Red Cross said Thursday that immediate steps will be taken to keep HTLV-1, a virus in the AIDS family believed to cause a form of leukemia, out of the blood supply.
Within 10 days, the Red Cross will begin a pilot program in five areas of the country to check 30,000 blood donations for antibodies to the virus to determine if further action is necessary, said Dr. Gerald Sandler, a Red Cross official.
“Our primary concern is whether any of this infection . . . has in fact come into the eligible blood donor population,” Sandler said.
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