I n December 2016, the American Red Cross published the results of a two-year study into the U.S. blood supply. They were specifically looking for an infectious parasite known as Babesia in donated blood, and they found it in 335 of the samples they tested.
Since then, the CDC has published “Babesiosis and the U.S. Blood Supply” and is letting the public know you can be infected:
- By the bite of an infected tick (most common)
- By getting a blood transfusion from an infected donor of blood products
- By congenital transmission—from an infected mother to her baby (during pregnancy or delivery)
The CDC has known since 1979 that Babesia causes transfusion-transmitted infection in the United States.
The FDA estimates 11% of transfusion related deaths are caused by microbial contaminated blood, with up to 38% of the fatalities linked to Babesia……… Join or login below to continue reading.
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