How does Canadian Blood Services make the blood supply safe?
Blood is a complex human tissue that is “transplanted” from one person to another. Like any other medical procedure, it can never be completely without risk. Canadian Blood Services, however, is committed to cutting the risk as close to zero as possible. For example, all donors—including the “regulars”—are screened to ensure suitability. Every unit of blood is tested for for syphilis, hepatitis B and C, HIV 1 and 2 (the viruses that cause AIDS), Human T-Cell lymphotropic virus HTLV-I and II (the viruses that can cause a rare form of leukemia in adults and chronic nervous system disease) and West Nile Virus. All blood is also tissue-typed, to ensure compatibility with the recipient’s blood. At an organizational level, there are senior managers explicitly accountable for blood safety, and advisory committees who will be consulted on safety, scientific and medical issues, and consumer perspectives. A Board of Directors oversees the operations of Canadian Blood Services and there is an ext
