American Red Cross Announces New Deferral Policy

May 22, 2001— Beginning mid-October, the American Red Cross will implement a prudent and cautious deferral policy due to the spread of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of “mad cow” disease. This always fatal disease has spread from the United Kingdom to other countries in Europe. There is enormous scientific uncertainty, no blood test and a long latency period (5 to 10 years) before the disease can be detected. There are no known cases of transmission through human blood transfusion, but animal models have shown it is possible to transmit vCJD through blood.

Beginning mid-October, the following people will be restricted from giving blood to the Red Cross:

• Anyone who has lived in the United Kingdom for a cumulative total of three months since 1980 or
• Anyone who has lived in any European country or combination of countries (including the United Kingdom) for a cumulative total of six months since 1980 or
• Anyone who has received a blood transfusion in the United Kingdom since 1980

This policy may restrict up to 8 percent of current Red Cross blood donors — about 400,000 people — until a blood screening test is available. Last year the American Red Cross, responsible for providing one-half of the nation’s blood supply to patients throughout the country, collected more than 6.3 million volunteer blood donations. But the demand for blood has been increasing even faster than the supply.

Medical advancements have led to procedures that with safe, available blood products, help people live longer, healthier lives. For example, people who are undergoing aggressive cancer chemotherapy treatments require blood transfusions because their own body’s ability to make blood cells diminishes. Premature infants may require blood transfusions to carry oxygen throughout their bodies. Additionally, medical treatments, such as organ transplants and cardiac bypass surgery, that require a large amount of blood, were uncommon 20 years ago. Today, they are routine. And the aging of the population means that more people live longer and are more likely to need medical treatments that require safe blood and blood products.

Implementation of this new policy will include substantial efforts to recruit, cultivate and expand the number of volunteer blood donors. We are confident that with dedicated resources, we can bring in more donors. Several efforts are underway:

• The Red Cross is investing $2.5 million in direct mail and advertising in more than 55 markets throughout the country.
• Throughout the summer, more than 2 million type O blood donors, the universal blood type, will be contacted and asked to donate.
• The Red Cross has begun plans to establish a national blood reserve — a strategically located reserve supply of blood supported by a state-of-the-art logistics and distribution system. The American Red Cross will mobilize a dedicated corps of volunteer blood donors, especially targeting universal-type blood donors. The Strategic Blood Reserve will provide a reliable source of lifesaving blood for hospitals through sophisticated need-forecasting models and real-time inventory management. The Strategic Blood Reserve will help stabilize and grow the blood supply on behalf of all patients in need.