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Africans Need Not Apply
For years, the local blood collection agency has been prohibiting those who have lived in the following African countries from donating blood: Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Niger, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea. Those who lived in these countries for six months or longer, those who had received blood transfusions in these countries, and those who had ever slept with somebody from the above categories were all banned. The reasoning was that a new strain of AIDS had been reported in these countries -- a strain for which there was no reliable AIDS test. Thus, all residents of these countries -- regardless of their sexual history -- are labelled at risk.
For years, the local blood collection agency fought any restrictions on prohibiting those who have lived in England from donating blood. Eventually (a few years after the African ban) a restriction was put in place: those who had lived in the England for three months were prohibited from giving blood. The reasoning was that British people were getting mad cow disease, and there was no reliable mad-cow test available. This ban was extended to France (with a similar residence) and all of Europe (for five years of residence).
A significant number of people who had previously donated blood had lived in Britain for three months or longer. Relatively few people had come from or lived in Africa. You do the math.
The story gets more interesting. The last time I gave blood, the ban had been extended for Africa, and lightened for England and France. Now all residents of all African countries are prohibited from giving blood if they have lived in Africa for six months or longer, received a blood transfusion in Africa, or had sexual contact with someone from Africa. Meanwhile, the lifetime ban on English and French has been reduced: only the period between 1980 and 1996 counts for the ban (although those receiving transfusions in those countries are still banned). I have heard no further justification of the broadening of the African ban, and as far as I know there is still no test for mad- cow disease.
Do the blood people consider English and French donors more important than African ones? If a significant fraction of donors came from Africa and an insigificant number came from England and France, would we see different policies?
You do the math.
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