Four More Blood Recipients Get West Nile

Anita Manning

USA TODAY

Federal health experts are investigating four more cases of West Nile infection in people who had received blood transfusions. They also confirmed Thursday that the mosquito-borne virus had been passed to four organ transplant recipients last month from a single infected donor.

The reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web sites highlight concern that the potentially deadly virus has infected the blood supply, but experts said in a briefing that the four blood recipients, who live where the virus is circulating, were most likely infected by mosquitoes.

''We're taking these seriously,'' said Jesse Goodman, an official with the Food and Drug Administration. ''In none of these cases is it considered proven that transfusion transmitted the virus, but we are very concerned about this. We regard some of these findings as suspicious, but needing further confirmation.''

Tests on blood donated and transfused into the four patients -- two in Mississippi, one in Louisiana and one in North Dakota -- who subsequently came down with West Nile infection are not yet complete, said Lyle Petersen, a West Nile expert with the CDC.

The CDC is looking back at previous West Nile virus cases to see whether other patients had recently received blood, Petersen said, and is tracking down about 100 people whose blood was given to the infected recipients. Any unused blood from those donors has been set aside as a precaution. Meanwhile, health officials are asking doctors to report possible transfusion-related cases to state health departments.

While the investigation continues, Goodman says, experts from the CDC, FDA and blood suppliers such as the American Red Cross are discussing possible steps to protect the blood supply if needed. They include temporarily barring blood donations from people in high-risk areas, speeding development of tests to detect the virus in donated blood, and new, experimental methods to inactivate viruses in blood.

''It's an evolving situation. We're not sure there is a risk. It's biologically plausible,'' Goodman said.

As of Thursday, health officials have recorded 1,295 human cases of West Nile disease in 30 states and Washington, D.C., this year, and 54 deaths. The state hardest hit is Illinois, with 314 illnesses and 13 deaths. The California Department of Health Services says tests confirm West Nile infection in a Los Angeles woman, the first case ever in that state.

In addition, the virus has been found in 4,037 crows, 2,857 other birds, and 1,692 horses, the CDC reports.

The end may be in sight, at least in parts of the country, Petersen said. ''Our data suggest the epidemic has peaked in the southern U.S., although transmission is certainly ongoing, and people need to take precautions,'' he said.

In northern states, particularly the upper Midwest, the peak is expected ''in the next week or two,'' he said.

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This article posted October 11, 2002.