I've been really overwhelmed with holiday stuff lately and am way behind on my blog postings, so you may have heard this news already, but it's big news for all of us so I thought I'd pass it along:
Although many countries, including the UK and Australia, have banned people with ME/CFS from donating blood in the wake of the XMRV research findings, the U.S. government has been dragging its feet. Last week, the American Red Cross decided to stop waiting for government action and announced it would no longer accept blood from donors diagnosed with ME/CFS.
And, today and tomorrow, the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee is meeting (FINALLY!) to discuss XMRV and related viruses and the potential dangers they pose in the blood supply. Let's hope they make the right decision.
Time to make a nice, soft dinner (Craig got his braces put on today).
I have had Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) since March 2002. Both of my sons also got ME/CFS at ages 6 and 10. Our younger son fully recovered after 10 years of mild illness. Our older son still has ME/CFS and also has Lyme disease plus two other tick infections. This blog is about how our family lives with chronic illness, with a focus on improving our conditions and enjoying our lives in spite of these challenges.
I'm not sure exactly when this happened here in Australia, but it must have been a few months ago now.
ReplyDeleteI was looking up blood donour restrictions while investigating bone marrow donation and was surprised to find the ban on CFS patients, or indeed any mention of CFS patients at all. The Red Cross site said there would be a review on the policy in two years.
Hopefully this will be the start of lots of good indepth research here and in the States.
Poppy.