Armed Services Blood Program

1
Armed Services Blood Program TSEAC Meeting 25
October 2001
COL G. Michael Fitzpatrick, MS,
USA Director,Armed Services Blood Program Falls
Church, VA 22041 Glen.Fitzpatrick_at_otsg.amedd.army.
mil
2
DoD Policy

• ACCESS TO DOD DONORS
• Operation Noble Eagle/Enduring Freedom Policy
  Regarding Civilian Blood Collections on Military
  Installations, Leased Facilities and Aboard
  Ships, 20 September 2001
• Reiterates need to conserve sufficient donor base
  to meet contingency support requirements
• Only applies to bases that provide donors for
  military blood donor centers
• Encourages military donations to civilian donor
  centers when military donor centers are not
  available

3
DoD Policy

• Variant CJD
• Effective 29 October
• Defers DoD Personnel stationed in Europe for over
  6 months from 1980 1996
• FDA Guidance deferred personnel living North of
  the Alps from 1980-1990 and South of the Alps
  from 1980-1996
• The Service QA Officers decided that the
  questioning required to differentiate personnel
  who lived North of the Alps vs. South of the Alps
  was too complicated and would result in numerous
  Post-donation information callbacks
• DoD is also implementing the entire deferral
  scheme rather than staging it for the same
  reasons

4
DoD Policy

• Variant CJD
• Effective 29 October
• Reduces the deferral time for the UK from 6
  months to 3 months
• Does the 5 year rule apply? Yes it does.
• If personnel spent 5 years in Europe from 1980
  through 1996 and were not DoD employees or family
  members they are deferred
• After 1996 the 5 year deferral criteria applies
  regardless
• Expected to defer 18 of the eligible donor
  population

5
DoD Concerns

• BSE in JAPAN
• Status of Japan
• What time frame is being considered?
• Placing Japan on the USDA list requires some
  action
• Waiting for the next TSEAC may be too long
• Request the chair consider addressing the
  implications of BSE in Japan as soon as possible.