Blood bank urged to safeguard products

THE State’s body charged with protecting public health has asked the blood bank to introduce a range of measures so all products for patients with severely impaired immune systems are safe.

The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) proposed a range of corrective measures after it was discovered around 370 patients may have received incorrectly prepared blood products manufactured at the Irish Blood Transfusion Service’s (IBTS) Cork Centre.

Incorrectly irradiated blood products were given to unborn and premature babies and cancer patients in the Munster region between August 2003 and April 2004.