The following email thread with the American Red Cross is extremely concerning as this appears to be yet another area of complacency as it relates to a life-altering/life threatening infection misclassified as a simple nuisance disease. You may want to send your own message of concern to the Executive Leadership of the American Red Cross. The email addresses below are public information and can be found listed in the following link: http://www.redcross.org/local/nhvt/about-us/staff COMPLACENCY: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies. _____________________________________________________ From: Carl Tuttle Date: May 16, 2016 at 6:02:55 PM EDT To: Maria.Devlin@redcross.org Cc: Subject: Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components May 16, 2016 American Red Cross of New Hampshire Region 2 Maitland Street Concord, NH 03301 Attn: Maria Devlin, Chief Executive Officer - NH/VT Dear Maria, With Vermont and New Hampshire reporting the highest numbers of Lyme disease cases in the country could you please describe how the American Red Cross is insuring that this pathogen is kept from entering our blood supply? Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26689144 Conclusions: This study demonstrated that B. miyamotoi can survive standard storage conditions of most human blood components, suggesting the possibility of transmission by blood transfusion. I look forward to your response. Sincerely, Carl Tuttle Hudson, NH Response from Dr Rios, Red Cross Medical Director ________________________________________ From: "Jorge MD Rios" To: "runagain" Cc: "Maria E. Devlin" , "Kevin Mazuzan" Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 1:22:46 PM Subject: Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components Dear Mr. Tuttle: I have been asked to respond to your question about the transmisbility of B. miyamotoi via blood transfusions. I am the Medical Director of the blood program of the American Red Cross in MA, VT, NH and ME. The American Red Cross follows the guidance from the FDA and the American Association of Blood Banks in terms of blood donor eligibility and blood recipient safety. All blood donors are not paid for their donations and are screened for infections via a mini-physical exam and a medical history questionnaire. Donors who are determined to be potentially infected with an agent that can be transmitted via a transfusion are deferred from a blood donation. Currently there are no required questions or blood tests to rule out an infection with B. miyamotoi among blood donors. We will adopt any mandated measures to prevent this infection among transfusion recipients as soon as they are mandated by the regulatory agencies. Sincerely, Jorge Rios, M.D. Medical Director American Red Cross Blood Services 180 Rustcraft Road, Suite 115 Dedham, MA 02023 phone: 781-461-2221 fax: 781-461-2020 work cell phone: 508-734-9790 Reply to Dr Rios: ________________________________________ From: "Carl Tuttle" To: "Jorge MD Rios" Cc: "Maria E. Devlin" , "Kevin Mazuzan" Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 3:03:41 PM Subject: Re: Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components Dear Dr Rios, Thank you for taking the time to respond to my inquiry. Borrelia miyamotoi as you know is a spirochete bacterium in the genus Borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme disease. This Japanese species of Borrelia has been recently identified in the Northeast. I would like to call attention to the following study: Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis — United States, November 2012–July 2013 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6249a1.htm The study describes three recent cases of sudden cardiac death among young adults. The deaths involved 1 female and 2 male patients, ages 26 to 38, all from Northeastern states with high rates of reported Lyme disease. None of the patients had evidence or a known history of erythema migrans (bulls-eye) rash or tick bite yet they all suddenly died from Lyme carditis. The Red Cross’ “medical history questionnaire” prior to blood donation, might not have picked up these cases before these individuals developed any signs/symptoms of illness. In fact, the vast majority of Lyme patients I’m familiar with never developed the bulls-eye rash or ever recalled a tick bite. We believe that my daughter and wife donated blood in 2008 before they were diagnosed with late stage Lyme disease in 2009. After educating ourselves it is believed my wife was living with the disease for 4-5 years before diagnosis and my daughter perhaps three years. In August of 2012 the CDC announced that the number of Lyme disease cases could be off by a factor of ten adjusting the number to 300,000 new cases annually which is six times more prevalent than AIDS. With numbers that high there is little doubt that Lyme disease is finding its way into the blood supply just as Babesia recently has (another tick borne infection). I have a contact that performs second generation DNA sequencing for all Borrelia species. Random blood samples from the Northeast blood bank could be evaluated by this technology. Any positive result of course is indisputable evidence of the pathogen. We believe the Lyme disease threat to our blood supply is real just as the hemophiliac community witnessed when AIDS contaminated the blood supply. A health questionnaire prior to blood donation is inadequate as it relates to tick borne pathogens. Sincerely, Carl Tuttle Hudson, NH Message to the Executive Leadership of the American Red Cross: ________________________________________ From: "Carl Tuttle" To: "Jorge MD Rios" Cc: "Maria E. Devlin" , "Kevin Mazuzan" Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2016 9:53:54 AM Subject: Re: Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components To the Executive Leadership of the American Red Cross, New Hampshire & Vermont Region; As a follow-up to this email thread below regarding the vulnerability of our blood supply I would like to offer the following information……. Does the name: Professor Neil Spector ring a bell? Dr Neil Spector, Duke University cancer researcher required a heart transplant after his Lyme disease went undiagnosed for four years. Source: http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2015/05/28/duke-physician-uses-near-death-experience-encourage-patient-self-advocacy#.VYlYnxtViko Have you heard the name: Kelly Downing? Nashua, NH fifth-grade teacher Kelly Downing as a result of her undiagnosed Lyme disease was paralyzed from the neck down and interviewed by Katie Couric. Source: http://patch.com/new-hampshire/nashua/nashua-mom-talks-chronic-lyme-on-katie-couric-show On May 19th a meeting was held in the Manchester office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen where five stories from disabled Lyme patients were read aloud. The reason I started this communication with Maria Devlin (Red Cross Chief Executive Officer - NH/VT) on May 16th is because we have been dealing with a life-altering/life-threatening infection misclassified as a simple nuisance disease for the past three decades. Those of you in position of authority at the Red Cross should be asking your own set of questions as you too have been deceived by the CDC and Infectious Diseases Society of America regarding the severity and persistence of this pathogen. I have attached a copy of the agenda from Thursday’s meeting at Senator Shaheen’s office for your review. The document points out many other publicly reported cases of life-altering/life-threatening results from Lyme disease. In addition, I have included the Congressional Testimony of L. Johnson & K. Newby outlining how this travesty developed in the first place after a Freedom of Information Act Request revealed how the “CDC Allowed a Commercial Group to Set Lyme Disease Policy and Funding Without Transparency or Oversight.” 50% of the 3,000 page document was redacted. What was so secret about Lyme that needed to be kept from the public? After reading these two documents you’ll understand my concerns about our blood supply and why a “medical history questionnaire” is willfully inadequate for a disease this disabling. Would a “medical history questionnaire” keep AIDS out of the blood supply? Respectfully submitted, Carl Tuttle Hudson, NH Final response from the Red Cross: ________________________________________ From: "Maria E. Devlin" To: "Carl Tuttle" Cc: "Jorge MD Rios" , "Kevin Mazuzan" Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2016 10:54:20 AM Subject: Re: Distribution and survival of Borrelia miyamotoi in human blood components Dear Mr Tuttle, We have provided you with the information requested on your inquiry. Maria