Kim Durnan/ April Kinser/Dallasnews.com

North Texas organ donation advocates on Friday were defending transplant procedures and the benefits of organ donation in the wake of news that three
transplant recipients had died of rabies.

Pam Silvestri, public education director for the Southwest Transplant Alliance, said the organization is facing the public's concerns head-on.

"You have two choices," Silvestri said. "You can not answer people's questions, and let them come to their own conclusions, or you can use the opportunity to share facts."

Also Online

Southwest Transplant Alliance <http://www.organ.org/>

Association of Organ Procurement Organizations <http://www.aopo.org/aopo/index.asp>

Texas Department of Health <http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/>

Denton Regional Medical Center <http://www.dentonregional.com/>

Centers for Disease Control <http://www.cdc.gov/>

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that
three transplant patients at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas died
last month of rabies transmitted through a single donor. The patients received the organs from an Arkansas man who died at a Texarkana hospital
after a brain hemorrhage resulting from a strain of rabies commonly found
in
bats.
It was the first time the disease had been transmitted by donated organs.
In 2003, more than 25,000 people received successful organ transplants
nationwide, with 2,000 of those success stories in Texas.

Silvestri said 17 people die every day because they could not get a needed transplant.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have gotten transplants successfully," she said. "What happened is so rare. You have to weigh the risks and the benefits."

Among the diseases transplant organizations screen for are HIV; HTLV, a virus associated with leukemia; Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C; certain herpes viruses; and syphilis.

Rabies has not been part of the organ testing because the process takes 24 hours and the disease is extremely rare among humans. Removed from the body, organs expire six to 12 hours later.

"I know people will have fears," said Susan Ristine, information specialist for the bureau of kidney health care for the Texas Department of Health.

"We feel horrible for the families and all people involved, but we know that in spite of all this organ donations save lives."

Saving lives was the same message blood donation advocates hammered after a string of recipients contracted HIV in the 1980s. At the time, HIV was not one of the screened diseases, but a testing procedure was quickly developed.

"There were patients during that time who were afraid to give blood or receive blood transfusions because they were afraid of getting the disease,"
said Susan Conn, administrative director of clinics and emergency services at Denton Regional Medical Center. "Testing improved so much afterwards that it was no longer an issue. Every now and then, though, you'll have a person ask, 'Are you sure?'"

Dr. Lesa Ford, a pathologist with the Denton hospital, also recalls the "huge public scare" about HIV, even among donors.

"People quit donating blood. People were even afraid that if they donated blood they would get HIV," she said. "It took a lot of education and publicity to calm people down and get them properly educated that they couldn't get the disease from donating blood."

Ford said she doubted the public would ever see another case of rabies-infected organs, but she hoped the tragedy would not have an adverse effect on donations.

Silvestri said families should talk about organ donation before a tragic event.

"It's important for people to make a decision about organ donation early and
discuss it with their families," Silvestri said. "Nothing is 100 percent perfect in medicine. It is an art and a science and we try to do it to the best of our ability."

Silvestri also emphasized that people should educate themselves about organ
donation and transplant procedures.

"I tell people to call us if you have questions. Let us introduce you to people who have had transplants and those who have donated," Silvestri said.

"Let us answer any questions so we can calm your fears."