Australian Red Cross Blood Service
Current risk estimates of transfusion transmitted viral infection
We are aware that clinical and health professionals often receive enquiries
regarding the current risks of acquiring various infectious diseases via blood
transfusion.
To assist you in answering these enquiries, we have prepared the following
information that may be useful for patients prior to transfusion of fresh blood
products:
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Australia has one of the safest blood supplies in the world. Blood is collected
from volunteer donors who are carefully assessed to ensure the safety of their
blood for transfusion to others. Only those who meet strict guidelines are
accepted as a blood donor.
Every unit of donated blood is tested for several infectious agents before blood or
blood components are released for transfusion. Only blood that is negative in
tests for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HTLV and syphilis is accepted.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) currently performs two types
of screening tests for hepatitis C and HIV. The first detects antibodies that the
body’s immune system produces in response to the viral infection (antibody
testing) and the second test, known as NAT (Nucleic Acid Testing), detects the
HIV and hepatitis C viral genomes directly. NAT can detect infection at an earlier
stage than the antibody tests, and is the most advanced technology currently
available for testing for these viruses.
Risks of acquiring various infectious diseases via blood transfusion are very small
when compared to other risks of everyday living. As a comparison, the chance of
being killed in a road accident is approximately 1 in 10,000 (Reference – Road
Fatalities Australia: 2000 Statistical Summary, Australian Transport Safety
Bureau, August 2001. http://www.atsb.gov.au/road/stats/pdf/final2000.pdf).
The following table provides the latest estimated residual risk (per unit) for
transfusion transmitted viral infections in Australia. These risks will be recalculated
and communicated on an annual basis.
Current ‘per unit’ risk estimates for transfusion transmitted viral infection
in Australia:
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HIV: considerably less than 1 in 1 million
Hepatitis C: approximately 1 in 900,000
Hepatitis B: approximately 1 in 500,000.
The above risk estimates have been calculated according to three mathematical
models based on ARCBS screening data from the 2000/01 financial year.
Full calculation methodology is detailed in an article accepted for publication in the
international journal Transfusion (Reference - Assessing the accuracy of three viral
risk models in predicting the outcome of implementing HIV and HCV NAT donor
screening in Australia and the implications for future HBV NAT. Clive R. Seed,
Anthea Cheng, Susan L. Ismay, Wayne V. Bolton, Philip Kiely, Trevor J. Cobain,
Anthony J. Keller and the Virology Subcommittee of the National Donor and Product
Safety Committee, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Australia; tentative
publication date October 2002).
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Australian Red Cross Blood Service
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