ABSTRACT
T he capability o f b lood transfusion to tran sm it viral disease has been know n since the 1940s w ith the observation th a t plasm a transfusion could cause h ep ati tis. The poten tia l for b lood transfusion to tran sm it viral diseases represents the m ost deep-felt fear on the p a r t o f the general public in relation to b lood tran sfu sion. W hile hepatitis transm ission has always been the m ost com m on infection tran sm itted by b lood transfusion , the h u m an im m unodeficiency v irus (H IV ) epi dem ic in the early 1980s an d general awareness o f H IV transm ission by b lood transfusion has caused the H IV virus to be the focal concern on th e p a rt o f the general public and has im pacted greatly on overall b lood transfusion practice since 1982.
