Definition of elegy for English Language Learners. : a sad poem or song : a poem or song that expresses sorrow for someone who is dead.
Hepatitis B was first discovered in 1963 by Dr. Baruch Blumberg and colleagues, who identified a protein (the âAustralia antigenâ that reacted to antibodies from patients with hemophilia and leukemia.
Eventually better screening methods for blood donors were developed, improving the safety of donated plasma. Screening of donors for the hepatitis B virus was already in place, and in 1989 the hepatitis C virus (HCV) was isolated, allowing HCV antibody testing of donors to begin in 1990. HIV was identified in 1984, and by 1985 a blood test for HIV antibodies was instituted in blood and plasma collection facilities.