Protecting the Nation's Blood Supply From Infectious Agents: The Need for New Standards to Meet New Threats

Publication

Protecting the Nation's Blood Supply From Infectious Agents: The Need for New Standards to Meet New Threats

Abstract

The Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight investigated the threat of infectious diseases in the US blood supply. The subcommittee found that the public was not provided sufficient information on the risks of blood products, largely due to the fact that the FDA hadn't effectively managed a regulatory review of it's blood products. Futhermore, they found that there was not an effective system in place to communicate blood product recalls to medical workers. In response, the subcommittee recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services provide clinically useful information on blood safety issues and ensure that individuals infected with bloodborne illnesses are notified of potential infection so they may seek treatment.