H.J. Alter – författare

Since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, public and political perception of blood transfusion has been negatively coloured. As a result, blood banks and transfusion services have been forced into defensive positions. The balance has tipped to criticism, suspicion and mistrust, where the overwhelming positive effects of blood transfusion seem to have been forgotten or grossly neglected. This work offers an overview of the various aspects of risk perception in relation to blood transfusion. The authors discuss how to manage risk in blood transfusion. This book is composed of four major sections: the perception of risk; the management of infection-defined risk; the management of immune-defined risks; risk management in clinical practice.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, with great pleasure I like to welcome you in the cityofGroningen and hope that you will have an enriching and enlighten­ ing discussion on the conference theme on risk management in blood trans­ fusion. The organisation of this symposium aims at scientific networking by discussing in an international forum the most important themes of current interest in relation to the state of the art in transfusion medicine. Dr. Cees Smit Sibinga took the initiative in 1976 to start organising the blood bank symposia as they were named in the beginning. Without doubt these symposia have contributed considerably to the development of transfusion medicine. To illustrate the fact that these symposia came to my attention I recollect that I have attended the symposium in 1978, chaired by Dr. Leo Vroman, in my capacity in those days of alderman deputy mayor of the city. So, it has been a long time since. After having been away from Groningen for 18 years I have been inaugurated last week as a mayor and it is a plcasure to be again in your midst. The scries of annual symposia on blood transfusion have contributed to mark the city of Groningen on the map of the international scientific world. A great number of prestigious institutes all over the world involved in the development of transfusion medicine have linked to Groningen and we are proud of that.