Blood Transfusion

Q: For a long time my husband and I participated in blood drives several times a year. Now he will no longer donate blood, and has warned me not to donate, because he is afraid of getting AIDS. I have told him that you cannot get AIDS from a blood donation, but he does not believe me.A: You are right! You can not get AIDS from donating blood.There is still a very small chance of contracting an AIDS infection from receiving a blood transfusion, but no risk in giving blood. Unfortunately, a recent nationwide survey found that one-quarter of the responders hold the erroneous belief that they can get AIDS from donating blood.

No matter how tear-resistant you may think you are, it will take superhuman effort to avoid a swelling in the throat when reading the last chapter of this brave and beautiful book. It is a letter Arthur Ashe wrote to his 6-year-old daughter, Camera, on Inauguration Day this year, saying, at the outset, that "by the time you read this letter . . . I may not be around to discuss with you what I have written here."Little more than two weeks later, Ashe, the greatest African-American tennis player in history, died, at 49, of pneumonia brought about by the AIDS virus.

When is a cold not a cold? The answer could be when it is fifth disease, according to Dr. John Cmar, an infectious disease specialist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. Even if you've never heard of this virus, chances are good that you have been - or will be - exposed to it, often without even knowing it. More than 70 percent of adults have had it at some time during their lives. Fifth disease is human parvovirus B19. It is most commonly associated with young children, although adults, too, can contract it. It is also called "slapped cheek disease" because in children, a rash often appears on the face, making it look as though the cheeks have been hit. It lasts between one and two weeks, but sufferers often feel better before then.

The supply of certain types of blood at Carroll County General Hospital has dropped to dangerously low levels in the past several weeks because of a regionwide decline in donors, said the hospital's blood bank supervisor.The hospital normally receives blood deliveries from the Central Maryland chapter of the American Red Cross on Tuesdaysand Fridays, said Gertrude Redding.But for the past two weeks, CCGH has received partial orders or no deliveries, she said.The shortage creates a risk for emergency patients who have lost blood in accidents and others who need transfusions, said Redding, who characterized the problem as "serious."

A 4-week-old girl injured in one of several accidents during Thursday's high-speed police chase from Cecil County to Baltimore suffered more serious injuries than previously thought, hospital officials and family members said yesterday.Police said Thursday that Savanah Meginnes' injuries were minor and that she was being held for observation at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. But the girl's condition was downgraded to serious early yesterday, a hospital spokeswoman said.The infant's uncle, Jim Nelson of Parkville, said Savanah was thrown from her car seat onto the floor of the car and that her skull was cracked.

AFTER ALL the disappointments in the battle against AIDS, it is significant that the latest ray of hope stems from the keen observation and steely persistence of an Australian social worker.In 1989, Jennifer Learmont, who works at the Sydney Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, noticed that two people had received blood from a donor who carried HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Yet both recipients, as well as the donor, still enjoyed good health. Ms. Learmont began to search out other recipients of the tainted blood -- a task that involved checking thousands of records of donors and recipients.

Herbert de Souza, 61, nominated for the Nobel Prize for his national crusade against hunger, died Saturday in Brazil.He died of liver failure caused by AIDS, said Dr. Walber Vieira. A hemophiliac, Mr. Souza was contaminated by a tainted blood transfusion in 1986.Known universally as Betinho, he inspired Brazilians to contribute food to the poor. In 1994, he led an effort to raise and distribute 600 tons of food to the hungry during the Christmas season.That year, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

NEW YORK -- Arthur Ashe was hospitalized because of a mil heart attack Thursday night, but he seemed to be taking his latest medical setback in stride."

Marine Staff Sgt. Miles N. Kaiser, who last week received a Purple Heart for wounds he suffered in El Salvador 11 years ago, died Monday of complications from injuries he suffered while in the service. He was 43.Gen. Alfred M. Gray, a former commandant of the Marine Corps, bestowed the medal Thursday on Sergeant Kaiser at Stella Maris Hospice at Mercy Medical Center, where he was dying of AIDS. Sergeant Kaiser was injured in a land mine explosion in the summer of 1985 while on a mission in El Salvador.

IRVINE, Calif. -- Scientists at the University of California in Irvine have successfully transplanted the leg of one rat onto another rat without setting off an internal biological war.The experiment was performed without the use of immunosuppressive drugs or radiation normally required in transplants to prevent tissue rejection.The study has sparked a debate among immunologists, who are unsure whether it means that two immune systems worked simultaneously in the same animal, or what the results might mean for human transplants.