Mexico to Require NAT for HIV and Hepatitis B and C Under Updated Blood Standard

Mexico has published Official Mexican Standard NOM-253-SSA1-2025, updating national requirements for the collection, testing, processing, storage, and transfusion of human blood and its components. The updated standard was published in Spanish in the Official Gazette of the Federation on Oct. 12. It replaces NOM-253-SSA1-2012, adopted in 2012.

The updated standard requires blood banks, biological qualification centers and blood processing centers to perform nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) for HIV and hepatitis B and C. It also requires irregular antibody screening for all blood donors, expanding beyond the previous standard's risk-based screening requirements. NAT will supplement, not replace, existing infectious disease screening tests.

Other provisions address donor selection, informed consent, hemovigilance, quality management and traceability.

The standard takes effect April 10, 2027. Blood services will have an additional 180 days after the effective date to implement the NAT and irregular antibody screening requirements.