Health Canada is lifting a long-standing ban on blood donations in Quebec that stemmed from fear of mad cow disease, the province's blood supply agency said Wednesday. 聽
鈥淎fter many years with no new cases, experts believe that it is safe to lift the ban based on statistical estimates that show virtually no risk of new transmissions,鈥� Dr. Marc Germain, vice-president of medical affairs and innovation at H茅ma-Qu茅bec, said in a news release.聽
For two decades, people who lived or travelled in the United Kingdom or France for long periods of time in the 1980s and 1990s have not been allowed to donate blood in many countries, including Canada, in case they had been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.聽
The change will come into effect on Dec. 4, H茅ma-Qu茅bec said. 聽
Canadian Blood Services, which manages blood supply for the rest of Canada outside Quebec, has asked Health Canada to lift the ban in the rest of the country.聽
Health Canada is expected to make that decision soon, Canadian Blood Services officials said. 聽
The United States and Australia both lifted similar bans in 2022. 聽
Both Canadian Blood Services and H茅ma-Qu茅bec said they have turned away thousands of potential blood donors whose travel in the United Kingdom and Europe decades ago disqualified them.聽
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2023.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press
