Trending
The Maui News
Lawmakers are calling for the Blood Bank of Hawaii to adopt updated federal guidelines on donating blood to help address "a major blood shortage" in the state.
The state Legislature passed a resolution on Tuesday encouraging the blood bank to align with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidance to shorten or eliminate the deferral period for certain blood donors. The guideline change comes in light of recently completed studies and epidemiologic data compiled by the FDA to ensure the continued safety of the blood supply.
"Our state is facing a major blood shortage as we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani of Oahu's District 18 said in a news release Wednesday. "Not only will these updated guidelines help us increase the amount of blood available to those in need, but it also will open the door for interested people to donate who might not have been eligible in the past."
Some notable changes include eliminating the recommended deferrals and recommending allowing reentry of donors who spent time in certain European countries or on military bases in Europe who were previously considered to have been exposed to a potential risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
The agency is also changing the recommended deferral period from 12 months to three months for:
• Male donors who would have been deferred for having sex with another man.
• Female donors who would have been deferred for having sex with a man who had sex with another man.
• Those with recent tattoos and piercings.
• Those who have traveled to malaria-endemic areas (and are residents of malaria nonendemic countries).
The Blood Bank of Hawaii is the sole provider of blood to 18 civilian hospitals in the state and one on Guam.