The list of diseases and conditions that contraindicate blood and its components donation has been amended in Belarus. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Valery Bartz, a methodologist at the Department of Organisation of Transfusion Assistance of the National Research Centre for Transfusiology and Medical Biotechnology, commenting on the Ministry of Health Resolution No. 88 of July 1, 2015.
The list of diseases and conditions that contraindicate blood and its components donation has been amended in Belarus. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Valery Bartz, a methodologist at the Department of Organisation of Transfusion Assistance of the National Research Centre for Transfusiology and Medical Biotechnology, commenting on the Ministry of Health Resolution No. 88 of July 1, 2015.
The new list has been developed in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO European Office and will help to maximally exclude all possible risks of infection during blood component transfusion.
The updated list, in particular, includes a provision concerning skin or mucous membrane damage (mouth, eyes, nose) by instruments that have been in contact with foreign blood and other biological material. According to Valery Bartz, previously a similar provision only applied to tattoos and piercings. Now it has been expanded due to the constant emergence of new human body modification techniques: implants, scarification, branding, etc. "In Belarus, cosmetic procedures in manicure and tattoo parlours, often organised in ordinary apartments, are increasingly becoming a cause of parenteral viral hepatitis infection. Therefore, a donor who has undergone such a procedure must refrain from donating blood for 6 months. After this period, if a blood test confirms the absence of the pathogen, they are eligible to donate blood," said the methodologist.
The new list for the first time includes such temporary contraindications as endoscopic examination using flexible endoscopes (valid for 6 months), as well as close household and/or sexual contact with HIV-infected individuals (valid for 12 months from the date of cessation of contact). All chronic liver diseases, including those of toxic and unknown aetiology, are now considered permanent contraindications; previously, this applied only to chronic hepatitis, as well as iron-deficiency anaemias.
If a person is bitten by a tick (if there is a risk of tick-borne encephalitis) or injured by an animal infected with rabies (or suspected of being infected), they also cannot be a temporary donor. As explained by Valery Bartz, the rabies and tick-borne encephalitis viruses, like the majority of infectious agents, circulate in the blood. By transfusing such blood to a recipient, the risk of infecting a healthy person can be created.
Changes have also occurred regarding medication intake. Previously, blood donation was prohibited for 10 days after a patient finished taking antibiotics, and 5 days after finishing salicylates and analgesics. Now, the contraindication has been extended to other medications. Moreover, the period during which one must refrain from donating blood is determined by the composition of the medications and the underlying condition. Any change in the results of laboratory tests of the donor's blood has also become a temporary contraindication.
In addition, such a somewhat archaic and practically unfounded rule as staying abroad on business trips for more than 2 months has been excluded from the list.
Overall, the system for presenting diseases and conditions that contraindicate donation has fundamentally changed. For the first time, it has been systematized in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Incidentally, Belarus was the first of the CIS countries to undertake and implement this in practice. This innovation will allow for deeper integration of the Belarusian blood service into the global medical community, as well as facilitate the work of medical professionals.
Valery Bartz reported that donors are no longer required to visit a polyclinic for extracts from medical documents. If a person has undergone a chest X-ray examination and a gynecological examination (for women) during a medical examination, health check-up, or for other purposes, the blood transfusion organization itself can request the necessary medical documents (with the donor's consent), which significantly simplifies the procedure. "In this regard, we are approaching the level of Western European countries, where donors are not required to provide any certificates," said Valery Bartz.
News of Belarus (BELTA)