In this talk, Dr Harpreet Kohli, Director of Public Health for NHS Lanarkshire, reviews the work of the Blood Donor Selection Steering Group convened by the UK Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).

The report was published in September 2011 and the changes to blood donation criteria were implemented in November in Scotland, England and Wales. The talk summarises the rationale for the donor deferral, the reasons for reviewing the criteria, the epidemiology of relevant infections, and the evidence for the recommendations.

Dr Kohli was a member of the Blood Donor Selection Steering Group whose recommendations the Scottish, English and Welsh governments recently implemented. However, this talk was given in an entirely personal capacity.

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