I recently sent the the CDC an e-mail inquiry about their XMRV Question & Answer webpage, specifically about the question "Should an individual with diagnosed chronic fatigue syndrome donate blood?" Here are my original e-mail to them and their reply:
My Question:
CDC's Reply:
My Question:
Regarding http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp_xmrv_qa.html#9
Now that the AABB has recommended that, as an interim measure until further definitive data are available, its member blood collectors "actively discourage potential donors who have been diagnosed by a physician with CFS" from donating blood, the CDC's Question and Answer About XMRV is no longer current.
Now that the AABB has recommended that, as an interim measure until further definitive data are available, its member blood collectors "actively discourage potential donors who have been diagnosed by a physician with CFS" from donating blood, the CDC's Question and Answer About XMRV is no longer current.
- Should an individual with diagnosed chronic fatigue syndrome donate blood?
- At the present time, there are no specific recommendations to defer donors who have chronic fatigue syndrome.
CDC's Reply:
Thank you for your inquiry to CDC-INFO. We are sorry for the delay in responding to your email. A recent high volume of inquiries has slowed our response time. Your request for information on when the XMRV question regarding blood donation will be updated on the website was forwarded to subject matter experts within CDCs Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion. We have provided you with their response below.
Thank you for clarification of your question. AABB's new recommendation for member blood centers does not constitute a blood donor "deferral". Our understanding is that blood donors will be given educational materials and discouraged from donating if they recall that their physicians have diagnosed them as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). There is currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance concerning deferral of CFS patients, and AABB is not currently recommending that blood donors be asked if they have CFS. That being said, some blood centers on their own (apart from AABB standards/recommendations or FDA guidance) may put new deferral measures in place because of concern about a potentially infectious etiology of CFS.
We will consider a change to the website to clarify, and thank you for pointing it out.
Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO Contact Center. Please do not hesitate to call 1-800-CDC-INFO, e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov or visit http://www.cdc.gov if you have any additional questions.
Thank you for clarification of your question. AABB's new recommendation for member blood centers does not constitute a blood donor "deferral". Our understanding is that blood donors will be given educational materials and discouraged from donating if they recall that their physicians have diagnosed them as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). There is currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance concerning deferral of CFS patients, and AABB is not currently recommending that blood donors be asked if they have CFS. That being said, some blood centers on their own (apart from AABB standards/recommendations or FDA guidance) may put new deferral measures in place because of concern about a potentially infectious etiology of CFS.
We will consider a change to the website to clarify, and thank you for pointing it out.
Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO Contact Center. Please do not hesitate to call 1-800-CDC-INFO, e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov or visit http://www.cdc.gov if you have any additional questions.