Red Cross Vows Closer Scrutiny on Blood Banks

The American Red Cross announced Thursday that it will take corrective steps in response to a government report that found laxity in the tracking by blood banks of transfusion-associated AIDS and other diseases.

In a 60-page letter sent to the Food and Drug Administration, the Red Cross outlined how it would improve its methods for receiving, investigating and following up on reports of errors and accidents that come in from its 54 blood-collecting regions.

Earlier this month, a preliminary report by an FDA inspector found that the government had never been notified of 228 reports of transfusion-associated AIDS reported to the Washington, D.C., region of the Red Cross.

“A preliminary review of these cases has determined that almost all of the transfusions occurred before March, 1985, when the testing for the AIDS virus began. From the preliminary review, it also appears that these cases did not result from any erroneous release of blood products,” the Red Cross said in a statement.

The AIDS-causing human immuno-deficiency virus, or HIV, is spread by sexual or blood-to-blood contact, such as receiving a blood transfusion from another person.