Changes to Blood Donor Criteria in Canada

Blood donations from people who have visited or lived in Britain or France for more than three months since 1997 will now be accepted by Canadian Blood Services. The safeguard was in place to protect the Canadian blood supply from the risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow disease. The agency says that improvement in BSE monitoring and control mechanisms since 1997 has decreased the risk of transmission of vCJD to humans.

Canadian Blood Services has also reduced the waiting time to make blood or bone marrow donations from 12 months to six months for the following people:

• those who have had a tattoo, ear or body piercing, or who have had acupuncture or electrolysis
• those who have had sexual contact with a partner whose sexual background is unknown
• those who have been injured by a needle or who have had contact with blood from another person.

To check if you are eligible to donate blood, see Can I Donate?.

More: Health in Canada