Blood services in the Region of the Americas.

recent years, blood services in the Region of the Americas have progressed substantially. One noticeable achievement has been the availability of struc-tured information concerning blood services in all the countries and territories of the Americas, without exception. Having that information makes it possible to know how blood services have evolved and also to identify weaknesses that still need to be addressed. Notable progress has also been made in terms of better screening of collected blood units for the markers of transfusion transmitted infections. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean reported that in 1999 they collected 5 996 591 units of blood. Of those units, 98.86% underwent screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 98.71% for hepatitis B virus (HBV), and 94.33% for hepatitis C virus (HCV). In 2001 screening levels reached were 99.91% for HIV, 99.87% for HBV, and 99.12% for HCV. That was in spite of the fact that the number of units donated in those countries had grown to 6 831 001, an increase of 14% over 1999. Even so, the quantity of blood in the entire Region of the Americas continues to be insufficient, and it is necessary to redouble efforts so that all the donated blood undergoes screening in order to avoid the transmission of infectious diseases. Another achievement is related to a change in philosophy that has occurred in blood services and among the persons manage those services in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. While before there was an emphasis on the safety of the blood to be transfused, now professionals in the various countries have determined that the priority should be the sufficiency and availability of blood in order to treat patients in a timely manner and with the greatest safety and quality possible. The strategic poles for developing national blood donation systems are now quality assurance, promotion of repeat voluntary nonremunerated altruistic donation, hemovigilance, and valuing blood as a national resource. This special issue of the Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health aims to demonstrate the achievements of blood services in the Americas and the challenges that they still face. The issue also seeks to present a panorama of the entire Region of the Americas, the experiences of individual countries, and some methodologies that can be used as tools in facing the future. In the first of the articles, the Regional Program for Laboratory and …