CAYENNE, French Guiana, Sept. 2, 2025 – After a two-decade hiatus, blood donations could resume in Guyana by 2026, a notable growth that could benefit patients with rare blood types. The High Council of Public Health (HCSP) has given a green light, deeming infectious risks no longer insurmountable obstacles, tho regulatory hurdles remain.
blood Donation in Guyana Poised for 2026 Return After 20-Year Suspension
Blood collection in Guyana, halted in 2005 due to infectious disease concerns, may restart by 2026 following a favorable advice from the High Council of Public Health.
It’s been twenty years since the French Blood Establishment suspended blood collections in Guyana in early April 2005. The primary culprit was the absence of an approved screening test for Chagas disease, compounded by other infectious risks like HIV and malaria. while significant strides have been made in identifying infectious agents and controlling their transmission, the regulatory framework still needs to be finalized.
The HCSP’s endorsement comes after being consulted by the Directorate General of Health (DGS) in early January. The DGS highlighted that the establishment of the Guyana University Hospital should facilitate a dedicated blood donation center, prompting the request for the HCSP to assess the conditions for safe blood collection resumption.
Addressing Infectious Risks
The Chagas disease issue is now considered resolved.
Regarding Chagas disease, for which precise prevalence data in guyana is lacking, the HCSP stated, “This problem is now resolved with the availability of efficient serological tests, even if serologies may not cover acute forms.”
The council’s evaluation covered several key areas:
- An exhaustive analysis of infectious risks identified by Public Health France in Guyana, including syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B and C, HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 viruses, malaria parasites, the Chagas disease agent, various arboviroses (dengue, chikungunya, Zika) based on the epidemiological situation.
- Establishing specific measures for Q fever.
- Consulting the HCSP in the event of emerging epidemiological risks impacting transfusion safety.
The HCSP also suggests prioritizing collections from populations of African or Amerindian ancestry to identify donors with “rare” red blood cell groups. An annual re-evaluation of the new strategy will be crucial for assessing its efficacy and limitations, alongside standard hemovigilance measures.
Approximately 7,000 transfusions annually
Around 3,500 transfusions were performed annually in Guyana a decade ago, a figure that has as doubled. In 2021, Guyana received 8,686 labile blood products, primarily from Guadeloupe or mainland France. Of these, 6,952 were transfused to 2,362 patients, with no recipient effects identified.
Reflecting on the 20th anniversary of the suspension of blood donation in Guyana, Professor Hatem Kallel, chief of the emergency and critical care center at the CHU-Cayenne site, stated, “we have never been out of blood.the EFS has always supplied in sufficient quantity.” He added, however, “Guyanese blood would complete the care offer, to empower itself and to be as compatible as possible in terms of blood subgroup.”
