Linked by Blood: Hemophilia and AIDS

Linked by Blood: Hemophilia and AIDS recounts the factors responsible for the widespread infection of people with hemophilia by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-contaminated blood and offers a prescription for addressing the challenges of future viral epidemics. The book describes the impact of AIDS on people with hemophilia, their families, and caregivers.

The collection, processing, and distribution of blood in the early years of the HIV epidemic are described, including the failure of regulatory agencies to promulgate effective rules to safeguard the blood supply. The contributions of individuals and organizations that mitigated the epidemic are recognized. Linked by Blood presents recommendations for addressing the myriad medical, social, and economic challenges posed by blood-borne viral infections (AIDS, Ebola, MERS) that periodically sweep through large segments of our population.

• Addresses the challenges of future viral epidemics
• Promotes understanding of the risks and benefits of blood transfusion
• Demystifies HIV/AIDS by explaining how the virus causes disease and is detected and treated
• Covers the factors that led to contamination of the blood supply and contributed to the AIDS epidemic
• Provides background information on hemophilia: who is affected, why they bleed, how it is treated, and what complications can occur
• Discusses the role of regulatory agencies in protecting the blood supply and ensuring the safety of blood and blood products
• Features new proposals to enhance blood product safety and regulate the prices of blood, drugs, and devices that are essential for human health

Dr. David Green is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, and a hematologist with expertise in bleeding and clotting disorders. He was awarded a US Public Health Fellowship to study blood coagulation in Oxford, England, and conducted research in The Netherlands as the Boerhaave Professor and Australia as a Fogarty Fellow. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians, a Distinguished Emeritus Member of the American Society of Hematology, and a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society. He is the author of 350 published journal articles and reviews, 11 edited books, and 2 multi-authored books.