The Magen David Adom, Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross, will test every unit of blood donated in Israel for the AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) anti-bodies to determine if the donor has the AIDS virus, the MDA announced Tuesday.
Dr. Shulamit Bar-Shany, director of the MDA’s Blood Bank in Jaffa, said there are roughly the same percentage of AIDS victims in Israel as in Western European countries, but substantially fewer than in the U.S.
According to the MDA, the new testing program brings Israel in line with most other Western countries in the struggle against the fatal disease. It will be undertaken by the MDA’s Blood Services, which collects more than 80 percent of the blood donated in Israel. This amounts to some 180,000 pints per year, which are supplied to all hospitals and to the Israel Defense Force.
The testing instrumentation has been acquired in the U.S. by the American Red Magen David for Israel. The MDA Blood Services here, meanwhile, has assembled a skilled laboratory staff. The government is funding the testing infrastructure.
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