The Ministry of Health has announced it has detected a fault in the system by which blood taken at MDA blood banks check for syphilis. The ministry assures citizens that the chances of contracting the disease are extremely low, but they did not take chances and the blood in question will be rechecked with a different system.

Notification was received on erev Rosh Hashanah that the company which manufactures the testing kit has lowered the sensitivity of the kit and as a result, failed to detect advanced stages of the illness in two patients.

A new testing kit is being used and blood tested with the old kit will be retested, but ministry officials stress the low likelihood of contracting the illness from the units of blood.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)