An Elkhart man was arrested this week for giving plasma when he allegedly knew he was infected with HIV. He gave at a business that pays for the plasma -- $30 in this case.
But the plasma given at such pay-for-plasma centers is never destined for another human being. It goes into making products that treat and prevent disease.
Still, area blood banks and plasma centers say they screen tightly, making it nearly impossible for viruses like HIV and hepatitis to ever reach patients receiving blood transfusions and other products.
The tests and the way they're carried out are largely dictated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Such rigorous tests is what led BioLife Plasma Services to discover that it had plasma infected with HIV. The Illinois-based business, which has a center in Elkhart, informed officials about it, which led police to arrest James Darrell Williams, 31, The Elkhart Truth reported.
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