GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands –The Cayman Islands government says with immediate effect it has reversed a policy banning people who had visited or lived in countries affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as “mad cow disease” from donating blood.
As a result of the policy changed announced by Health Minister Sabrina Turner in the Parliament, people who lived in Britain between 1980 and 2001 or who had received a blood transfusion in the UK from 1980 onwards can now give blood here.
Turner told legislators that an assessment of the current risk, along with existing controls for blood donors, allowed several countries to revisit similar policies.
“This change in blood donor eligibility is a game changer. By significantly increasing our local blood donor pool, we are reducing Cayman’s dependency on importing blood from the US and strengthening local resilience. This will be especially beneficial in times of personal and national emergencies where there may be a great demand for blood products,” the Health Minister said.
The health authorities said that while humans cannot contract BSE, eating beef from a cow that has BSE can trigger the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), which causes progressive and ultimately fatal brain damage.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent, speaking to reporters after the Minister’s statement said, “the blood donor policy restrictions were necessary for the safeguarding of public health in the 1980s and beyond.
“However, there have been no new cases of vCJD diagnosed in the UK among people born after the introduction of strong dietary protection measures introduced in 1989. This strongly suggests that the zoonotic transmission pathway was effectively closed in the UK over 30 years ago,” Dr Gent added.
The Cayman Islands Blood Bank has welcomed the policy change, noting the strong donation culture of UK and European citizens, especially those residing in the Cayman Islands.
Health Services Authority (HSA) Hematologist-Oncologist and Head of Internal Medicine, Dr Lundie Richards, said staff have had to defer volunteers in the past due to concerns about transmitting vCJD through blood transfusions.
“We are extremely pleased that we are now able to accept more donations without compromising safety. And, as always, the Blood Bank will continue to prioritize safety by screening and thoroughly testing all donated blood,” she said.
