Dubbo local Cheryl Burke has just made her first blood donation in almost 20 years. She's one of many Australians rushing to roll up their sleeves after a ban on blood donors who had been in the UK in the midst of the mad cow disease scare was lifted.
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"It really makes a difference - I know it sounds dramatic but donating could save someone's life. It's so important," said Ms Burke, who lived in Edinburgh for 3 years from 1991.
Late last month, the Australian Red Cross lifted a 22-year ban on blood donation by those who had spent a total of six months or more in the UK between 1980 and 1996.
The ban was a precaution in response to the mad cow disease outbreak and concerns around the spread of the human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a fatal disease with an incubation period of many years and no screening test to identify carriers.
"Before I went over to the UK I had given blood and when I was living over there I gave blood too. Coming back here I went to give blood and I wasn't able to - I didn't realise the ban was a thing, it wasn't on my radar," said Ms Burke.
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"I used to drive past the donor centre everyday and they had a sign saying 'we need x more donors today'. It was very frustrating, I thought, 'why can't I be one of those last people?'"
Lifeblood - part of the Australian Red Cross - recommended the ban be removed following an in-depth risk assessment and modelling they conducted alongside UNSW Sydney's Kirby Institute. The move was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Since the ban was lifted, over 21,000 more Australians have already signed up to become blood and plasma donors. In Dubbo, 130 new donors have registered since the end of last month.
"It has been truly incredible to see so many generous people ready to roll up their sleeves and start saving lives as soon as the change was announced," said Cath Stone, Executive Director of Donor Services at Lifeblood.
An estimated 1 in 3 Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime. To keep up with the demand for blood transfusions, the Australian Government Department of Health estimates more than 29,000 blood donations are needed every week, but only 3 per cent of Aussies are blood donors.
Lifeblood estimates lifting the mad cow ban could see up to 58,000 extra blood donations being made each year.
To make even more Australians eligible to donate, Lifeblood is currently looking into its rules around "at risk" sexual activity to explore whether wait periods for plasma donations can be safely reduced. Currently, men cannot donate blood if they have had sex with another man in the past three months.
"We are always seeking ways to increase the number of donors to continue to safely provide the amount of blood and plasma required by Australian patients," Ms Stone said.
"Plasma is considered a modern medical miracle by many because it is the last line of defence for many health conditions, and more than half of all donations in Australia are now plasma donations."
