Ban on Brits giving blood finally lifted
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has approved a change in the local blood donor eligibility policy following a review of the potential risk posed by people who had visited or lived in countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease”. This means people who lived in Britain between 1980 and 2001 or who had received a blood transfusion in the UK from 1980 onwards can now give blood here.
This new policy, announced by Health Minister Sabrina Turner in the parliament on Friday afternoon, takes immediate effect. She explained that an assessment of the current risk, along with existing controls for blood donors, allowed several countries to revisit similar policies.
While humans cannot contract BSE, eating beef from a cow that has BSE can trigger the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which causes progressive and ultimately fatal brain damage.
“The blood donor policy restrictions were necessary for the safeguarding of public health in the 1980s and beyond,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent in a press release following the minister’s statement.
“However, there have been no new cases of vCJD diagnosed in the UK among people born after the introduction of strong dietary protection measures introduced in 1989. This strongly suggests that the zoonotic transmission pathway was effectively closed in the UK over 30 years ago,” Dr Gent added.
A clinical sub-group of the Health Services Authority (HSA) considered the evidence available, which also included secondary risk through transfusion-transmission, and based on that evidence, made the recommendation for the exclusion to be lifted.
Dr Gent has met with representatives from both Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI) and Doctor’s Hospital, the other two main users of blood and blood products in the Cayman Islands, both of which were also in favour of the change.
“This change in blood donor eligibility is a game changer,” said Turner in the parliament. “By significantly increasing our local blood donor pool, we are reducing Cayman’s dependency on importing blood from the US and strengthening local resilience. This will be especially beneficial in times of personal and national emergencies where there may be a great demand for blood products.”
The Cayman Islands Blood Bank welcomed the policy change, noting the strong donation culture of UK and European citizens, especially those residing in the Cayman Islands.
Dr Lundie Richards, HSA Haematologist-Oncologist and Head of Internal Medicine, said staff have had to defer volunteers in the past due to concerns about transmitting vCJD through blood transfusions. “We are extremely pleased that we are now able to accept more donations without compromising safety. And, as always, the Blood Bank will continue to prioritise safety by screening and thoroughly testing all donated blood,” she said.
In order to become a blood donor, there are some basic requirements to fulfil. New donors must be between 18 and 60 (existing donors up to 70) and weigh at least 50 kg. They must be in good health at the time and cannot have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. They cannot donate within six months of acquiring a tattoo or a piercing. A haemoglobin test will be conducted before donation, and anyone who has travelled to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic will be deferred.
Donations can be made Mondays to Fridays from 7am to 6:30pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 5:30pm at the Cayman Islands Blood Bank located at the George Town Hospital.
See here for more information and to book an appointment or call 244-2674.
Walk-ins welcome.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Never been a better time to donate blood!
CNS top marks for the “the blood donor”… classic!
It is not just the Brits that this affects.
I lived in West Germany in the 1980’s and the Blood Bank refused to let me be a donor.
Real shame because I am O Negative and this is the blood wanted for emergencies.
Also a shame that the Blood Bank here stops people at 60, like their blood is too old!!!!
Wonder how many lives could have been changed if this idiotic policy was reversed decades ago.
Brits – your residence may not be welcome but we will happily take your blood.
Troll. cow.
Why only upto 60? In the UK you can donate upto the age of 66 (70 for existing donors)
https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/news-and-statements/don-t-just-give-up-give-blood/
maybe stop eating animals that are fed the ground up remains of their own kind…
livestock industry is shameless and indefensible.
I wear a bracelet that clearly states I am not to be given blood from vegans or crossfitters.
good to know that you are aware that you will need blood and medical attention in the near future….
About bloody time!
Excellent news. We already have our appointment booked to give blood on Wednesday.
I always wondered how many people actually got Creutzfeldt Jakob in Europe from eating BSE infected cows.
More or less than a dozen?
What a fantastic job by our government; only took them 30 years…..
About bloody time!
That’s stating the bleeding obvious.
Does this count towards PR for volunteering?
If Spilling blood doesn’t count towards PR, then giving blood certainly won’t.
Not just “Brits”. Many Caymanian’s have been turned away over the decades. Now some of us are too old!!!
In the seventies they really needed donors as the custom here was only to donate for one’s own family.
I have been waiting to donate blood for decades, but unfortunately I am now over 60 so my old blood is still no good. I would like to understand what magically happens when you reach 60+ what makes your blood no good?
Yep me too
Indeed! If it’s good enough for you, it should be good enough for anyone. I am O- (the type they need for emergencies) and 60, have been blocked from donating and am now still blocked.
Why stop blood donors at 60?
I think the caution is for the health of the donor and the secondary increased danger of a fall if they were to pass out afterwards. If you have given blood recently you can give blood over the age limit (in the UK), presumably because you know how it affects you.
60 rule probably been in place from when people died at 70+. Needs to be adjusted as people live longer now most 70 year olds I know look and are in better health than the young people.
About time. Safer the blood from U.K. donors than blood purchased from the USA sold by ‘donors’ there. Heard of HIV & HEP C? Spread by contaminated unscreened blood.
That blood is screened, Rainman
In the seventies and 80’s tens of thousands of NHS patients contracted HIV and Hep C and other serious diseases from untested blood products imported from the U.S, and an estimated 3000 died. There was a similar problem in Canada. Patients and their families are still waiting for compensation promised years ago.