US urges wider BSE blood ban

British blood has been prohibited since last year

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended widening a ban on blood donations from people who have visited Europe.

The move comes amid ongoing fears over BSE or mad cow disease. Some experts fear the human form of the fatal disease may be transmitted to others via blood transfusions.

We don't know how rapidly the number of BSE cases will go up in these countries

Dr Bruce Ewenstein, FDA advisor

The FDA wants to extend a ban which already covers people who have spent more than six months in Britain to cover donations from long-term residents of France, Ireland and Portugal.

On Wednesday, the American Red Cross, extended its own restrictions to include donors who have lived anywhere in Western Europe since 1980.

The moves have been opposed by blood storage centres who say it will cut donations by 6%, which could be devastating in major urban areas such as New York.

Compromise

"This seems like a reasonable compromise, recognising that we don't know how rapidly the number of BSE cases will go up in these countries," said Dr Bruce Ewenstein, an advisor to the FDA.

Europe is gripped by fear of rising BSE cases

No cases of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), or its human equivalent, nvCJD (new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) have been detected in the United States.

However, other experts believe the Red Cross is taking the wrong approach.

"There is not a lot of evidence that you get this disease from blood transfusions," Art Caplan, head of the nation's top blood advisory panel, told USA Today.

And according to one major collection agency, America's Blood Centres, the new restrictions could be devastating.

"We could lose 25% of New York City's blood supply," said spokeswoman Melissa McMillan.

Researchers predict that increasing demand and dwindling supplies could soon lead to shortages of blood in US hospitals.