Countywide : Agency Finds Blood Not Contaminated

Responding to rumors at several Ventura County high schools that some blood collected during school drives contained the virus that causes AIDS, officials on Tuesday said that none of the 50,000 units they have collected countywide since 1991 have tested positive for HIV.

“We’ve had zero for two years running now, we’re ecstatic about it,” said Debra Haymons, technical director of United Blood Services, the nonprofit group that provides blood to all hospitals in Ventura County. “We do some explicit questioning upfront, so we eliminate anybody who may be at risk of HIV.”

Haymons said 794 units have been collected at high school drives since October. Earlier this fall, officials from Camarillo and Ventura high schools called United Blood Services to ask about rumors that some of the blood donated by their students contained the human immunodeficiency virus, she said.

Last week, a parent whose child attends Buena High School in Ventura called to ask about rumors in the school that 18 students who gave blood at the school’s drive had the virus.

That call, and the two prior inquiries, prompted Haymons to issue a statement saying no blood donated to United Blood Services has been found to contain HIV in the past two years. During the screening process, potential donors are given informational pamphlets to read before an exhaustive interview that poses specific questions about drug use and sexual activity, she said.