asked the Minister for Health the tests, if any, for AIDS which are applied to blood donated through the Blood Transfusion Service.
Written Answers. - Tests for AIDS.
33.
All blood donated through the Blood Transfusion Service is currently being screened for anti-bodies to the AIDS virus using the Wellcozyme anti-HTLV III test. This has been established as the most reliable test for AIDS anti-bodies following an evaluation which has been carried out on the available tests. If a blood sample is found to be positive, it is subjected to a second test, and if the sample is again found to be positive, a confirmatory test is carried out at the virus reference laboratory at UCD.