title: [The impact of the implementation of staying in the United Kingdom for six months or more as donor exclusion criteria on the donor base of the Basque Country].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To reduce the risk of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by blood products some countries exclude persons who have spent six months or more cumulatively in the United Kingdom as blood donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We asked our donors about this selection criteria to evaluate the loss of blood donors and donations in case of implementation of this measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  11,681 donors and 1,648 refused persons were analyzed. 123 (1.05%) and 11 (0.66%) respectively fulfilled this criteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In case of implementation of this selection criteria 1% of blood donors and 1.77% blood donations would be lost.
authors.affiliation: Centro Vasco de Transfusión y Hemoderivados. Galdakao. Vizcaya. mperezv@hgda.osakidetza.net
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pérez Vaquero
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Basaldua
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibarra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Renovales
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Larrea
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vesga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000592:standards*; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom