No need to worry about China imported plasma

The DOH issued the clarification amid misgivings about imports of blood products from China, which is a high risk area for AIDS, hepatitis and malaria.

DOH officials noted that any blood products used for Taiwanese people have come from donations by local people and that there is no reason to worry.

“All blood products used for transfusions have come from local donors and the misgivings about foreign blood plasma or serum being used for transfusions are unwarranted, “ said Shih Chung-liang, director-general of the DOH's Bureau of Medical Affairs.

Liu Li-ling, a DOH section chief in charge of medical equipment and cosmetics, said that blood serum and plasma from humans and animals is often used as stabilizers or buffer solutions for non-invasive diagnostic and test kits.

She explained that the main reason for importing blood plasma from China is that if human blood plasma is used as the diagnosis agent, there are no restrictions on countries from which it is imported.

If it is animal blood plasma, then products from mad cow disease- affected countries are prohibited from entry.

She also said the DOH will demand that importers of foreign blood products provide safety certification documentation and that screening methods meet World Health Organization standards.

“There will also be irregular random checks,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation said that the reason for importing foreign blood plasma might lie in the less complicated procedures governing its use.

Foundation official Lin Min-chang explained that if locally produced plasma were to be used for purposes other than treating patients, the collectors require the consent of all the donors, which is not required for imported blood plasma.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email