Deferral aims to deter Chagas' parasite

Article Abstract:

A blood donor screening policy to prevent the spread of Chagas' disease was described at the 1990 meeting of the American Association of Blood Banks. The policy was developed after two cases of Chagas' disease were traced to transfusions, and requires that people who were born in, or who have traveled to, parts of Latin America where the disease is endemic be questioned to determine whether infection is likely. The effects of the screening policy were evaluated by testing the blood of 45 of 72 prospective donors who were not allowed to donate because of possible infection with the parasite. The blood tests for antibodies to the Chagas' disease parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) showed that two were infected. This is equivalent to a prevalence of between 1/1,000 and 1/500 among prospective donors. With the inclusion of the Chagas' disease screening procedure in the donor screening protocol, 21 percent of would-be donors would be turned away. In the case of the blood bank that tested the screening policy (the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Hospital Blood Bank), almost half the donors were Latin American immigrants. Half of these have lived in suspect areas of Latin America. It is possible that 100,000 immigrants are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Nifurtimox, the only drug against the parasite available in the US, improves survival but does not cure chronic infection. Screening donated blood would be impractical, because there are few cases of Chagas' disease in the population as a whole. Only one other case, in Canada, was identified after the two transfusion-related cases. However, this does not mean it is safe to ignore this transmission route. The affected patients were people whose immune systems were compromised, and infection with only mild symptoms is possible. The disease may progress slowly, according to one researcher. Blood banking industry representatives argue against turning donors away because of the countries they come from, fearing reductions in the supply of blood. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Conferences, meetings and seminars, Diagnosis, Testing, Medical examination, Social policy, Blood, Blood donors, Blood donation, Chagas' disease, Chagas disease, Blood banks, Blood tests, American Association of Blood Banks

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Institute of Medicine to restaurants: serve up nutrition information

Article Abstract:

Since a large part of Americans' food budget is spent in restaurants, patrons are entitled to know the nutritional value of what they are served, according to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. In a recent report, "Nutrition Labeling: Issues and Directions for the 1990s", an Institute panel has called for regulations to make even fast-food chains post nutrition information to make it available to customers. The fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber contents of foods should be identifiable; in non-fast-food establishments, the information should be available to those who ask for it. The president of the National Restaurant Association, though, does not believe the problem will be easy to solve, since the same containers (such as pizza boxes) are often used for several kinds of products. He also questions whether customers can really interpret nutritional information. In this, the Institute of Medicine's report agrees: while most consumers read nutrition labels, many do not understand all the information they read. The restaurant industry is reluctant to designate itself as a nutrition leader, if consumers do not clearly want product information. Ultimately, the demands of the marketplace will determine the extent to which restaurants comply with nutrition labelling suggestions. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Restaurant industry, Fast food restaurants, Food, Labeling, Food labeling

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