<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Blood Bank supply safe <!--10 min-->
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->THE national blood supply remains safe despite a recall of some chemicals used to test donated blood for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the hepatitis B and C viruses, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Wednesday.
Chiron, the manufacturer of the reagents, has voluntarily recalled batches of the chemicals that were stored in a warehouse here since last November, after discovering that a freezer had an inconsistent temperature.
From last Decembe to early this month, the HSA had used some of the affected reagents to carry out the nucleic acid test, one of the two tests it runs on all samples of donated blood to check for HIV, and hepatitis B and C viruses.
But no tainted blood would have slipped through undetected because all samples were also checked using the other test, known as the immuno assay, which is not affected by the recall, said the HSA. The immuno assay is an internationally recognised standard which is compulsory for all international blood service providers, while the nucleic acid test is an optional test that HSA uses as 'an additional safeguard'.
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->THE national blood supply remains safe despite a recall of some chemicals used to test donated blood for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the hepatitis B and C viruses, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said on Wednesday.
Chiron, the manufacturer of the reagents, has voluntarily recalled batches of the chemicals that were stored in a warehouse here since last November, after discovering that a freezer had an inconsistent temperature.
From last Decembe to early this month, the HSA had used some of the affected reagents to carry out the nucleic acid test, one of the two tests it runs on all samples of donated blood to check for HIV, and hepatitis B and C viruses.
But no tainted blood would have slipped through undetected because all samples were also checked using the other test, known as the immuno assay, which is not affected by the recall, said the HSA. The immuno assay is an internationally recognised standard which is compulsory for all international blood service providers, while the nucleic acid test is an optional test that HSA uses as 'an additional safeguard'.
