Chronic Fatigue May Be Considered in Blood Donations
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Americans with chronic fatigue syndrome may be barred from donating blood because of concern that the disease is linked to a virus found in prostate cancer.
Outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted 9-4 yesterday in Gaithersburg, Maryland, that scientific evidence supports asking prospective donors whether they have chronic fatigue as a basis for preventing donations, Shelly Burgess, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an e-mail. The FDA has the authority to ban certain blood donors, as it has with gay men, and usually follows its panels’ recommendations.