Details
- Publication date
- 1 October 2004
- Author
- Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Description
Following the reported cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in persons who had returned from Portugal in July 2004, and the implementation by the National Blood Transfusion Services of Ireland of a four week deferral period for blood donors after leaving the Algarve, the Commission conducted a survey in order to have up-to-date information as to measures taken by other EU Member States.
In general, Member States apply the deferral criteria for blood donors of 28 days as set out in Directive 2004/33/EC. Some are implementing this requirement vis-à-vis the Algarve while others are not. Comments to the effect that there is no evidence that the Algarve is an area with 'ongoing' transmission of WNV to humans' as is currently the case in North America, and that this is an occasional situation' inter alia were provided. The majority of respondents considered that no change is required at present to this Directive, although recent findings by the American Red Cross in the look-back into the 2003 WNV epidemics may require the Blood Regulatory Committee under Directive 2002/98/EC to reconsider the current deferral period.
The Commission will be keeping this matter under review.