Become familiar with the activities covered by the Blood Law
Brasilia, March 22, 2001


Law 10.205 of March 21, 2001 will be a key tool for attaining the National Mobilizing Health Sector Target drawn up in 1998: "Quality guaranteed blood at every stage of its production by 2003." Under the express instructions of the Minister of the Health, José Serra, a range of measures has been adapted over the past three years to improve blood quality and to attempt to reach the above target.

Currently, all the units which carry out blood transfusions in Brazil are inspected by the Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), ensuring the quality of the products.

As the result of the greater frequency of inspections, the percentage of cases of Aids notified as having been acquired through transfusions has remained stable at 0.1% over the period 1998-2000. In 1996, the number of notified cases was 1. 6%. In 1996, 326 cases of contamination through transfusion were registered, but this figure had fallen to just 3 in the course of last year.

Inspection work has increased throughout the entire country. In the period 1998 to 1999, the number of health inspections in blood therapy services increased by 2.15 times. Between September 1999 and August 2000, 1.768 inspections were carried out.

The new Law assists and reinforces activities already in progress in the Ministry of Health. Investments by the Federal Government in the public blood-bank network, comprising 3.264 units, are increasing.

In 1998, R$ 21 million was invested and in 1999, a total of R$ 40 million. In year 2000, investments totaling a further R$ 40 million were made. For the current year, an investment of R$ 41.5 million is foreseen. From 2001 to 2003, the sums earmarked for blood activities will be of the order of R$ 127 million in total.