Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Babesiosis, a tick-borne disease

[CanLyme Note: Canadian Blood Services does in-house studies with no input from the public and their experts. We, the public, with our experts should be fully engaged in all policies that affect us. From funding determination, terms of reference, study design, to implementation and publishing approval of results we need to be involved as equal partners. ]

May, 2019

“We, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are notifying you, blood establishments that collect blood and blood components, that we have determined babesiosis to be a relevant transfusion-transmitted infection (RTTI) under 21 CFR 630.3(h)(2).¹ Accordingly, we are providing recommendations for donor screening, donation testing, donor deferral and product management to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis (TTB). The recommendations contained in this guidance apply to the collection of blood and blood components, except Source Plasma.^2″

Read FDA guidance