The maximum age for people eligible to donate blood would be increased to 70 if they are regular blood donors as part of expanded rules proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday.
The draft amendments to the Blood Donors’ Health Standards (捐血者健康標準) have four main changes.
First, rules on donors’ age, body weight and body temperature would be relaxed.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Taipei Times
Second, more conditions that defer blood donations would be added, including people with vector-borne diseases, foodborne diseases and blood-borne infectious diseases, and people taking anticoagulant medicines.
Third, the limits for donated blood volume would be revised, and a minimum interval between blood donations would be stipulated.
Last, a polymerase chain reaction test would be included in donors’ blood testing.
FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Te-yuan (王德原) yesterday told reporters that the standards have not been amended since they were promulgated in 2006.
The draft amendments were formulated based on the average life expectancy in Taiwan to develop secure and stable sources of blood in response to domestic population aging, he said.
To meet international standards, blood donation-related regulations of the WHO and Western countries were also considered, he added.
The age limit would be loosened so that people aged from 65 to 70 with a record of donating blood within two years could continue to donate blood, while those older than 70 could not donate blood without permission from a doctor, he said, adding that adolescents aged 16 with the consent of their legal representative could donate blood.
Body weight limits would no longer be decided according to gender, Wang said.
Blood donors should weigh at least 45kg, except that those who perform apheresis donation of platelets, white blood cells or plasma should weigh at least 50kg, he said.
The draft amendments are open to be discussed and would come into effect 60 days after its announcement, if there is no major disagreement, he added.
The draft amendments did not address easing a ban on blood donations from men who have had sexual encounters with other men, as a public consensus has yet to be reached since the issue was proposed in 2018, he said.
The Centers for Disease Control has commissioned an academic institution to evaluate the feasibility of lifting the ban, with two forums to be held this year to collect more expert opinions, Wang said.
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