FDA, Red Cross Clash on Blood Bans
W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 16 -- The government is about to prohibit certain frequent travelers to France and Portugal from donating blood, as an extra precaution against mad cow disease, but says American Red Cross plans to ban many more donors could cause shortages.
The Food and Drug Administration and Red Cross are poised toissue dueling policies on who can give blood after traveling to orliving in parts of Europe, a conflict also causing concern that itwill further confuse the public about the baffling disease.
The FDA today bans donations by anyone who spent a total of sixmonths in Britain between 1980 and 1996, when that country was theepicenter of the mad cow outbreak.
Now, as mad cow disease spreads throughout Europe, the FDA alsowill ban donations by anyone who lived or traveled in France orPortugal — nations considered most at risk after Britain — for atotal of 10 years since 1980, the FDA's blood chief, Dr. JayEpstein, said in an interview Thursday.
The Red Cross, which collects half the nation's blood supply,told the FDA this week that its blood banks probably will bandonors who spent just three months in Britain or one year anywherein Europe.
Some of the nation's top mad cow experts last month rejected theRed Cross' call for those tighter restrictions, and the FDA willfollow that advice.
It is legal for the Red Cross to be more strict, Epstein said.But Red Cross blood banks could not say or imply that their bloodconsequently is safer than pints collected by other blood banksthat follow FDA standards, he warned.
Blood Supplies Tight
A stricter ban could worsen already tight blood supplies,particularly in New York City, where 25 percent of the red cellsupply is imported from certain FDA-approved European blood banks,Epstein said. The Red Cross estimates its ban would cut nationwideblood donations by 6 percent, while the FDA's standards would cutthem by less than 1 percent.
"We would be seriously concerned about any safety claims andwould be concerned about the supply impact," he said.
