Singapore Eases Geography-Based Restrictions for vCJD Risk

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) recently eased geography-based restrictions on blood donation related to the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), The Straits Times reported Oct. 20. The revised donor eligibility criteria, announced in June, allows individuals who resided in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom for a period of time to donate via apheresis.  

Previously, Singapore deferred from blood donation any individual who had lived in the U.K. for three months or more from 1980 to 1996, or in France, Ireland or other European countries for five years or more since 1980. Following a review in 2022, HSA determined that the risk of transfusion-transmitted vCJD is low if the blood donations are leukodepleted. The revised donor eligibility criteria apply only to apheresis donation.  

Singapore joins a growing list of countries that has eliminated geography-based deferrals for vCJD risk, including Australia, Israel and the United States. Additional information about vCJD is available on the AABB website.