Surveillance for transfusion-transmitted viral infections in the United States.

Surveillance is part of a multi-faceted programme to monitor the safety of the U. S. blood supply. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administers several national surveillance programmes, including pathogen- and disease-specific systems (e.g. human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis) and programmes that focus on donors and recipients of blood and plasma products (e.g. persons with haemophilia). Data collected in these systems can be used to monitor temporal and epidemiological trends, identify risk factors for infection, facilitate identification and investigation of potential outbreaks, and evaluate intervention and prevention strategies.