Woman died after transfusion of tainted blood Japan

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 08 Aug 2004 - 1:00 PDT

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Japan - A woman in her 70s died of complications caused by the hepatitis B virus after receiving a blood transfusion at a hospital in Saitama Prefecture in April, according to sources.

After learning that the woman had contracted HBV, the Japanese Red Cross Society determined that blood from the same donor had been sent to other medical institutions, the sources said.

But the Red Cross did not withdraw the blood or conduct follow-up probes on the use of the blood as a second screening of a sample of the blood failed to detect the virus.

With HBV, however, an extremely small amount of the virus--smaller than can be detected through routine testing--is enough to cause a lethal infection. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has instructed the Red Cross to verify whether other patients have been infected with the disease, the sources said. MORE.....The Daily Yomiuri

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