Linked by Blood: Hemophilia and AIDS recounts the factors responsible for the widespread infection of people with hemophilia by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-contaminated blood and offers a prescription for addressing the challenges of future viral epidemics. The book describes the impact of AIDS on people with hemophilia, their families, and caregivers. The collection, processing, and distribution of blood in the early years of the HIV epidemic are described, including the failure of regulatory agencies to promulgate effective rules to safeguard the blood supply. The contributions of individuals and organizations that mitigated the epidemic are recognized. Linked by Blood presents recommendations for addressing the myriad medical, social, and economic challenges posed by blood-borne viral infections (AIDS, Ebola, MERS) that periodically sweep through large segments of our population.

Preface -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The impact of AIDS on hemophilia -- Chapter 2. Blood: vital but potentially dangerous -- Chapter 3. What is hemophilia? -- Chapter 4. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- Chapter 5. Blood as a vehicle for the spread of AIDS -- Chapter 6. Hemophilia: an affinity for blood -- Chapter 7. A full-blown epidemic -- Chapter 8. The Institute of Medicine study -- Chapter 9. Factors that enabled the epidemic -- Chapter 10. Contributions that mitigated the epidemic -- Chapter 11. Hemophilia: past and present -- Chapter 12. A prescription for safeguarding blood and controlling treatment costs -- Each chapter concludes with a list of Key Points and references.