THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	42
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the blood bank of hawaii to expedite the process of removing the deferral for individuals previously considered to be exposed to creutzfeldt-jakob disease and variant creutzfeldt-jakob disease to assist with THE urgent demand for blood in the state.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the State is experiencing a historic blood inventory shortage; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Blood Bank of Hawaii is the sole provider of blood to the eighteen civilian hospitals in the State and one on Guam; and

 

     WHEREAS, regular blood inventory maintenance requires one hundred fifty blood donors each day; and

 

     WHEREAS, however, because of the State's blood shortage, the Blood Bank of Hawaii has not been able to adequately supply the State's hospitals, leaving them with only between sixty and eighty percent of the normal supply; and

 

     WHEREAS, the blood supply shortage constitutes a health crisis that poses a significant risk to those who may suffer medical emergencies and require blood transfusions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the government agency that determines blood donor eligibility requirements; and

 

     WHEREAS, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, also known as Classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, is a rare, rapidly progressive, degenerative brain disorder that occurs through inherited cases or as a sporadic disease with spontaneous transformation of normal prion proteins into abnormal prion proteins; and

 

     WHEREAS, Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, also known as vCJD or "Mad Cow" disease, is the human counterpart to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), an incurable, fatal neurogenerative disease in cattle, and is believed to be spread through contaminated beef or blood products; and

 

     WHEREAS, in August 2020, the FDA lifted the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease travel deferral for a majority of affected European countries; and

 

     WHEREAS, in May 2022, the FDA lifted the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease blood donor ban for individuals who spent time in the United Kingdom, France, and Ireland from 1980 to 2001; and

 

     WHEREAS, the reversal of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease deferment may potentially impact thousands of individuals in Hawaii who were previously ineligible to donate blood, including those in the military who served abroad and individuals who previously lived in affected European countries; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Blood Bank of Hawaii has yet to adopt any of the FDA's updated guidance for donors who have been deferred for spending time in certain European countries who were considered to have been exposed to a potential risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Blood Bank of Hawaii is requested to expedite the process of removing the deferral on individuals previously considered to be exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease to assist with the urgent demand for blood donations in the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and Chair of the Blood Bank of Hawaii.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Blood Bank of Hawaii; Donors; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease; Deferral