South Texas Blood & Tissue is welcoming members of our community who have never tried to give blood, or were deferred from donating, because of time spent in Europe.
Donors who could not give previously because they spent time in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France between 1980-2001 are now eligible to give blood again. Anyone who received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland from 1980-present is also eligible.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently updated blood donor eligibility guidelines, and South Texas Blood & Tissue has implemented those new guidelines, which stemmed from concerns about variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).
After years of research, the FDA concluded that the risk of transmission of vCJD through blood donation was negligible. This is in addition to changes from the FDA in 2020 that restored donors who had lived in other parts of Europe.
The Veterans Administration estimated the changes restored eligibility to more than 4 million veterans, civilians and family members worldwide.
“We’re heard for many years from people who spent time in these countries – many times members of the military and their families – wanting an opportunity to give blood or platelets,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, South Texas Blood & Tissue.
The updated guidelines come at a crucial time. Patients across the country including South Texas are facing an emergency blood and platelet shortage, as donations have not kept pace with demand this holiday season. With more donors now eligible to give there is an opportunity to re-build the lifesaving blood supply.
Anyone previously deferred will be contacted by South Texas Blood & Tissue about donating or to find out if you are eligible to donate call 210-731-5590, extension 2243.
Blood and platelet donations can be made at any of the nine donor rooms. Walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment or find a donor room, call 210-731-5590 or visit SouthTexasBlood.org.
