SARS containment
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
April 1FDA guidance recommends that blood donor suitability questions be revised to help gauge potential exposure to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and determine whether donors should be deferred. The interim guidelines, which are expected to result in deferral of at most 0.4% of donors, also advise blood establishments to urge donors that have already given blood to report prior potential SARS exposures so that their blood may be quarantined. FDA is unsure if the virus is transmitted by blood, but the agency will monitor and revise its interim criteria based on their effect on the blood supply and on scientific developments. An informational 2SARS website has been established at the agency...