European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The vol. 50, no. 214 wednesday november 13,1991 authorized unofficial publication for the  armed forces 35c d 8693 parasite halts donations of blood from Gulf vets by Mary Knudson the Baltimore Sun Baltimore a the Pentagon planned to announce tuesday a temporary halt to accepting blood donations from persian Gulf War veterans because of a rare parasite that 19 of them brought Home. And in an emergency session in Baltimore on monday the organization that oversees blood banking in the United states agreed to extend the ban to civilians who have visited any of the eight persian Gulf states since aug. 1,1990. Both moves Are designed to protect people receiving blood transfusions from a disease called leishmaniasis detected in a fraction of the 541,425 military people who served in the Gulf. The disease ordinarily caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of Sand Fli usually causes skin lesions according it. Col. Jean Freitas a spokeswoman for the department of defense. But one form of leishmaniasis causes diarrhoea fever chills weight loss and anaemia and can be life threatening she said. Seven of the 19 american cases were the severe Type. A the risk of contamination by blood transfusions is very slight a the spokeswoman said or. Enrique Mendez assistant defense Secretary for health affairs will order the ban to remain in effect until a screening procedure is developed to detect the parasite. The Pentagon contacted the american association of blood Banks As some 7,000 of its members began their 44th annual see vets on Page 2keepers of desert peace marines drop from a now helicopter hovering Over the desert tuesday. The troops military the second since the persian Gulf War ended in fcb May. See inside for a War part of a joint amphibious exercise dubbed eager Mace with the kuwaiti special eight Page report about . Troops continued role on the kuwaiti  puts Bush in dead heat with faceless demo Washington apr president Bush ran neck and neck with an unnamed Democrat in a National poll released monday that showed another drop in the president s approval rating and Clear dissatisfaction with the nation s direction. The Survey found that Domestic issues dominated the list of voters concerns Anguring Well for democrats who have been trying to paint Bush As a Globe trotting Diplomat who spends too Little time worrying about the Home front. Coming on the heels of off year elections that put the White House on the defensive the monthly times Mirror Center for the people amp the press Survey provided fresh evidence of a dramatic shift in the National political landscape caused by persistent economic worries. A number of polls Over the last month have shown Bush a support slipping. A this is the first time that Bush a re election prospects appear directly threatened by the Public a mounting unease at the country a economic prospects and the order of the Bush administrations priorities a the Center said in its written analysis of the Survey results. A until this most recent Survey his position As an Invulnerable electoral target has been virtually  eight months ago at the end of the persian Gulf War the times Mirror Survey showed Bush with an 84 percent approval rating. The latest Survey conducted from oct. 31 to nov. 10,see poll on Page 21991-92 College basketball preview a see pages 24-25