By Michael Peppers
ROCKFORD (WREX)
New Center for Disease Control regulations on traveling mean less people qualify to give blood.
The CDC says people who've been to certain Caribbean areas of Mexico must wait a year to donate blood. Blood banks worry the new rule will limit their supply.
Recent visitors to Mexican resort areas like Cancun, Cozumel and Playa del Carmel will be deferred 12 months from giving blood. The changes come after the CDC revised it's risk criteria for individuals bringing malaria into parts of the U.S. or Canada. Rock River Blood Center Marketing Manager Jennifer Bowman says the changes are the CDC's way of being more cautious.
"This doesn't mean that the areas you travel to have become more high-risk for Malaria, or things like that," said Bowman. "It's just that they've decided that they really need to make larger, more blanket deferrals."
The Rock River Blood Center wants to spread the word about the changes so willing donors who must be deferred won't be turned away at the door. The new rules don't just cause an inconvenience for the people who regularly travel to Mexico.
"Because they are such popular travel destinations for this area of the country, we are very concerned that it could affect the donor base greatly, said Bowman"
Bowman herself was planning a trip to Mexico that she's reconsidering. The blood center has also identified staff members who recently traveled to Mexico and were regular donors. Bowman says they're looking through the blood center's database to see how many donors this new rule will affect. She anticipates the impact will be significant
"We don't know exactly where everyone goes every single time and how often they go, so, it'll be a little bit of a learning experience, but I would say, both locally and nationwide, we're going to see a little bit of tightening of the blood supply due to this," said Bowman.
Mexico isn't the only country the CDC has restrictions for. People who have made a recent trip out of the U.S. who are interested in donating should call their local blood center to see if they are eligible.
Rock River Valley Blood Center Marketing Manager Jennifer Bowman
