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HEMOPHILIA.ORG > BLEEDING DISORDERS INFO CENTER >
BLOOD SAFETY > BLOOD & PLASMA PRODUCTS

Blood Safety | Hepatitis | HIV | HIV/AIDS FAQs |
Patient Notification System


Blood Safety
People who are treated with blood and plasma products might be exposed to various bloodborne viruses and contaminants. Two of these are hepatitis and HIV.

Since 1985, new viral screening and purification methods have made the blood supply safer than ever. For instance, HIV transmission by any factor VIII or IX product in the U.S. has not occurred since 1986 due to viral inactivation (viral killing) methods used to treat blood products. These include heat treatment, solvent-detergent cleansing, and monoclonal purification.

Availability and Safety
Recently, public attention has been drawn to the current difficulty of obtaining certain blood products, particularly intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) and clotting factor. While IVIG is primarily used by persons with immune deficiency disorders, persons in the hemophilia community who are HIV positive often use this treatment to prevent infection. The hemophilia community at large has experienced on-going shortages of certain factor VIII and factor IX blood clotting factor products and especially recombinant products.

Because people with hemophilia are dependent upon blood products to control bleeding episodes, shortages of clotting factor can be life threatening. Since the contamination of the blood supply with the AIDS virus in the 1980's, the safety of blood products has been an overriding concern. Despite advances in manufacturing and in new clotting factor products, the hemophilia community and other users of plasma-based therapies remain susceptible to blood-borne pathogens and viral infectious disease. For this reason, blood product safety must be given the highest priority and consideration.

Multiple factors contribute to current shortages. Enhanced inspections of plasma manufacturing facilities by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the last year have resulted in numerous citations and production shutdowns for failure to comply with good manufacturing practices. These actions are long overdue and necessary to improving the overall safety of blood products. Increased demand for blood products and international markets also have played a key role. Quarantine of plasma products suspected of contamination by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) has also contributed to shortages of certain products.

Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all children by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for all individuals 2 years of age and older with hemophilia and other congenital bleeding disorders.

Disclaimer
The information contained on the NHF web site is provided for your general information only. NHF does not give medical advice or engage in the practice of medicine. NHF under no circumstances recommends particular treatment for specific individuals and in all cases recommends that you consult your physician or local treatment center before pursuing any course of treatment.
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