# Presentation: 109819

## Armed Services Blood Program 
TSEAC Update – vCJD Deferrals

RONNY G. ALFORD, Major, USAF, BSC
Deputy Director, Armed Services Blood Program
(703) 681-8010

***Armed Services Blood Program****** ***
***TSEAC Update – vCJD Deferrals***
**RONNY G. ALFORD, Major, USAF, BSC**
**Deputy Director, Armed Services Blood Program**
**(703) 681-8010**

## DoD POLICY

**Variant CJD Donor Deferrals - Effective 29 Oct 01**
**Defers DoD Personnel stationed in Europe for over 6 months from 1980 – 1996**
**Reduces UK travel time from 6 months to 3 months**
**If you spent 5 years in Europe from 1980 through the present and were not a DoD employee you would be deferred**
**After 1996 the 5 year deferral criteria applies regardless of why you were in Europe**
**If you received a transfusion in the UK from 1980 to the present you are deferred **
**Defers additional 18 percent of DoD Donor population**** **
**Prior to this DoD deferral rate was about 25%**
**Time aboard ship is not included**** **

**TOTAL  18**

**USA  7**

**ASBBC - 2**

**USN    4**

**USAF  5**

***ASBBC, NCA,  Bethesda, MD***

***NMC Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA***

***Wright-Patterson AFB  Dayton, OH***

*** ******Scott AFB  Belleville, IL***

***NH, Great Lakes Waukegan, IL***

*** ******CMBC, Ft. Knox, Louisville, KY***

***NH, Charleston, SC***

***WAMC, Ft. Bragg,   Fayetteville, NC***

***WHMC, Lackland AFB San Antonio, TX***

***WBAMC,         El Paso, TX***

***BBC, Ft. Hood, Killeen, TX***

***BAMC, Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX***

***KMC, Keesler AFB,  Biloxi, MS***

***MACH, Ft. Jackson, Columbia, SC***

*** ******EAMC, Ft. Gordon, Augusta, GA***

***NMC, San Diego, CA***

***ASBBC, Ft, Lewis, Tacoma, WA***

*** ******DGMC, Travis AFB, Fairfield, CA,         ***

***CONUS BLOOD DONOR CENTERS***

## BLOOD DONOR CENTERS

*** ******18 Donor Centers in CONUS ***
*** ******6 Donor Centers OCONUS***
*** ******Germany***
*** ******United Kingdom***
*** ******Alaska***
*** ******Hawaii***
*** ******Japan***
*** ******Guam***
*** ******24 Donor Centers Worldwide***

**Notes:**
Currently deployed elements.

## DONOR POPULATION 

** ****Active Duty = 1.38M**
** ****Family Members = 1.95M **
** ****92% of donations are from Active Duty military members**
** ****6%  of donations are from federal civilian employees**
** ****2% of donations are from active duty family members (non-federal civilian employees) **
** ****Recruit 130,000 donors per year  from 32 of 318 major active duty installations (9% penetration AD population)**
** ****18% current AD Population affected by vCJD deferral – Distribution is not even**

**Notes:**
Currently deployed elements.

## IMPACT

**Difficult to accurately determine impact of vCJD deferrals**
**Self-Deferral**
**Added recruiters to our donor centers – Aggressive education, use of base media as a part of recruitment effort**
**Self Deferral during command briefings as high as 50%**
**DoD news spots, messages, and articles**
** ****Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) **
**Eased recruitment burden**
**15,000+ units packed cells to SW Asia to date**
**Lost CONUS donor center staff to deployments**
**Reserve augmentation **
**Expanded collections at basic training commands**

## RESULTS

**Oct 00 – Mar 01 vs. Oct 01 – Mar 02**
**WB collections have increased 9%**
**vCJD deferrals currently averaging 12% despite donor education efforts during unit recruitment**
**Greatest impact – Operational units with significant European rotations (up to 50% deferrals)**
**Least impact – Basic Training units (less than 1% deferrals)**
**Total Deferrals  (Donor Interview)**
**Oct 00 – Sep 01 = 25% **
**Jan 02 - May 02 =  16%**

## WHOLE BLOOD DONATIONS

## SUMMARY

**Implemented deferrals in Oct 01**
**Added Recruiters and shifted collections to focus on 18-25 y/o trainees**
**Went to war**
**Increased eligible donors by 9%**
**vCJD deferrals average 12%**
**Range 1% - 50%**
**Decreased total deferrals by 40%**
**Oct 00 – Sep 01 = 25% **
**Jan 02 - May 02 =  16%**
****** ****vCJD Deferrals**