More people in Switzerland can give blood from February
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More people in Switzerland can give blood from February
The criteria for blood donations in Switzerland will be relaxed from February 1. People who previously had blood transfusion, who spent a longer stay in the UK or who had certain medical procedures will be allowed to donate again, according to Swiss Transfusion SRC.
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The basis for the adjustment was a comprehensive risk evaluation by a specialist group and approval by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products Swissmedic, wrote Swiss Transfusion SRC, an independent institution of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), in a press release on Tuesday.
Accordingly, a period of four months after each transfusion now applies, regardless of the country in which a blood transfusion took place. According to Swiss Transfusion SRC, people who spent longer periods in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s will be allowed to donate blood again in future.
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A waiting period of one year applies for neurosurgical procedures, provided the operation was performed in Switzerland. People who received a dental implant in Switzerland after 1993 may also donate blood again. Depending on the complexity of the procedure, a rejection period of at least two weeks applies, according to the press release.
New rules after more than 20 years
According to Swiss Transfusion SRC, the previous rules had been in place for over 20 years. At the time, they were created due to the risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) through blood. It said there was an increased risk of infection in the UK at the end of the last century.
Blood transfusions and certain interventions were also considered potential risk factors, it added. In Switzerland, no case of vCJD has been reported to date and the risk of transmission through blood transfusions is currently considered to be extremely low.
Blood donations continue to be subject to strict selection and control processes, the institution emphasised. However, the adjustment of the criteria is a “socially significant step”.
Around a year ago, Swiss Transfusion SRC noted a trend towards fewer blood donations. Overall, 1.3% fewer blood donations were collected in Switzerland in 2024 than in 2023, with a total of 260,349 donations.
As of January 1, 2025, free blood donation was enshrined in law. Since then, everyone has been allowed to donate blood – with the exceptions mentioned above. Until the beginning of 2025, men were only allowed to donate blood if they had not had sex with men in the previous 12 months.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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