My name is Dr Michelle Wright. Welcome to my Health Matters podcast.
I’m a British-trained doctor and General Practitioner, living and working in Switzerland for over 20 years.
In each episode, I bring you clear, evidence-based health information, relevant to your life here.
Every day in this country, around 700 blood donations are needed to save lives. Yet only 2.5% of the Swiss population donates regularly.
Generally, the needs are met, but donated blood has a short shelf life. Situations like the Crans-Montana fire or pandemics can cause demand to change rapidly and supply issues to result.
Something that could increase donor numbers is recent relaxation to restrictions on donating blood that came into effect in February this year.
One of the most important changes is that if, like me, you lived in the United Kingdom for more than 6 months between 1980 and 1996, you can now donate blood in Switzerland.
Other changes mean that people who have previously received a blood transfusion themselves can also now donate, as can those who have undergone certain medical procedures.
Why have the rules changed?
Well, the previous restrictions were put in place because of concerns about a very rare but serious disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or variant CJD for short. This disease is caused by abnormal proteins called prions which affect the brain and lead to progressive, fatal damage.
And where does the link with the United Kingdom come in? Well, in the 1980s and 90s, there was an outbreak of “mad cow disease” in the UK. There was concern at the time that humans who ate contaminated beef from these cows could become infected with the human variation of mad cow disease – variant CJD. And then someone could carry the infection without knowing it and potentially pass it on through blood transfusion.
At the time, there was also concern that variant CJD could possibly be transmitted through certain medical procedures such as neurosurgery.
Because vCJD can take many years to develop and is always fatal, very strict precautions were therefore put in place to protect patients receiving blood.
However, since then, a large amount of new scientific data has been collected. This data has been carefully reviewed by experts in transfusion medicine and infectious diseases. Their conclusion has been approved by Swissmedic. Its very reassuring: the risk of transmitting variant CJD through blood transfusion is now considered extremely low.
There have been no reported cases of variant CJD in Switzerland, and internationally, there have been no documented transmissions through blood transfusion for many years.
Because of this, these older restrictions are no longer considered necessary, and more people are now eligible to donate blood safely.
So, from 1st February:
- Anyone who lived in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 for extended periods can now donate blood without restriction.
- Those who have received a blood transfusion now only need to wait 4 months before donating, rather than being permanently excluded, regardless of where the transfusion took place.
- For those who have had neurosurgery in Switzerland, blood donation is possible after 12 months.
- And after dental implants in Switzerland, you only need to wait 2 weeks before donating.
Some listeners may remember that these changes build on another important update from 2023.
Before 2017, men who have sex with men were completely excluded from donating blood. This was later changed to allow donation if there had been no sexual contact with men in the previous 12 months.
However, in November 2023, the criteria were updated to apply equally to everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Now, anyone needs to wait 4 months after a new sexual partner before donating blood. And if you’ve had more than two partners in the past 4 months, the waiting period is 1 year.
What else do you need to know if you’re contemplating donating blood for the first time?
Well, first-time donors need to be in good health and aged between 18 and 60. And then regular donors can continue up to the age of 75, as long as they remain healthy.
Everyone completes a questionnaire and has a brief medical check before donating and there are a few additional criteria to be aware of. For example:
- You need to weigh more than 50 kg.
- You shouldn’t have had major surgery or given birth in the past 12 months.
- Certain medications may prevent you from donating.
- And there may also be restrictions if you’ve recently travelled to certain tropical countries.
If all is good and you are eligible, the donation itself only takes about 10 minutes. But you should allow around 45 minutes in total to include the questionnaire and medical check.
Your blood pressure and pulse are checked beforehand, and your haemoglobin level – the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen – is measured to ensure you are not anaemic.
Typically, you donate about 10% of your blood volume. This is around 450 millilitres. Your body replaces the fluid within 24 hours, but it can take up to 7 days to fully replace your red blood cells. To help with recovery, it’s important to drink plenty of fluids afterwards and avoid strenuous activity.
How can you find out where to donate blood?
You can visit the website of the Transfusion Service of the Swiss Red Cross at:
www.transfusion.ch
There, you can enter your postcode and find upcoming donation sessions in your area. And there’s also loads more information about donation on the website.
That’s it for this episode of Health Matters. If you found it useful, please like, share, and follow on Spotify. It helps others find reliable health information in English.
