I write in response to the letter from Keith John Oderberg ('Choosy blood bank', South China Morning Post, February 28).
Mr Oderberg asked why he could not donate blood in Hong Kong because of the amount of time he had spent in the UK during the period 1980 to 1996. The reason is related to the theoretical risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and is applied to potential donors who have spent specified periods of time, cumulatively, in countries where there has been a history of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). There are 31 European countries where we need to know the cumulative amount of time spent by potential blood donors, although the most stringent requirement relates to the UK where BSE was most prevalent during the period 1980-1996.
Other related reasons for deferral would include donors who have received bovine insulin injections since 1980 unless it is confirmed that the bovine insulin was not manufactured from cattle in the UK after 1980 and those who have received transfusions of blood or blood components in the UK from 1980 to the present time. This information is sought from each potential donor prior to donation or deferral.
In following such deferral criteria, the Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service is following the stringent industry guidance issued by the US Food and Drug Administration.
This guidance and our deferral policy, are purely preventive measures as the risk of transmission is still theoretical.
The matter has been the subject of extensive examination and recommendation by the Hospital Authority Expert Panel on Blood and Blood Products Safety and Hong Kong's deferral policy is similar to measures adopted in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.
Our understanding of the situation within the UK is that the National Blood Service there discards all plasma from local donors and imports from countries where there is no evidence or history of BSE and vCJD (including the US).
