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ME Sufferers banned from giving blood

London ME Group | 03.11.2010 18:03 | Health | Repression | Social Struggles | World

Banning Blood is Not Enough!

ME sufferers are now banned from blood donation but are the only group banned who receive no medical treatment for their condition. They say that the ban is due to a new Retrovirus discovered in their blood.

ME protesters
ME protesters


Demonstrators, some dressed in full bio-hazard gear, held a banner reading "XMRV, It's all in M.E. blood" and said

"We believe that the ban decision is based on a newly discovered retrovirus, XMRV (Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) found in the blood of ME/CFS patients. This was reported in the prestigious medical journal Science in October 2009 and confirmed by U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Harvard Medical School PNAS in August 2010”

The vast majority of patients with ME in the UK receive no NHS medical care and there is no government funded medical research. This situation has continued for more than 25 years with many patients bedbound for this length of time. Several of the ME/CFS patients who attended the protest have tested positive for the new human pathogen XMRV and will have increased health problems as a result of the strength they have used coming here today.

Canada, New Zealand and Australia have all banned ME/CFS patients from donating blood this year because of XMRV. Studies in the USA and Japan are finding up to 6.8 % positive for XMRV in healthy donor blood. The UK authorities are lagging behind these countries in developing reliable tests for this virus.

Millions of pounds have been squandered by the state on psychiatrically-led research.

Protesting patients waited while numerous attempts were made requesting a member of staff from the press office or the chief medical officer’s office of the DOH to present them with a letter, new research data and further information about XMRV and ME. But it is understood the Minister's office prevented this. The mother of Sophia Mirza who died of ME, aged 32 in 2005, Criona Wilson attended the protest and accepted the information, then passed it on to the DOH.

London ME Group
- e-mail: contact@notsonice4me.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.notsonice4me.co.uk

Additions

50 ME protesters were outside the DOH

05.11.2010 13:44

ME patients want the DOH to be clear about the ban - it is XMRV
ME patients want the DOH to be clear about the ban - it is XMRV

During the protest there were 50 ME patients and their supporters at the protest

ME Group


ME Protesters want treatment for the new Retrovirus (XMRV)

05.11.2010 14:09

ME patients protest at lack of DOH honesty and medical treatment for XMRV
ME patients protest at lack of DOH honesty and medical treatment for XMRV

ME patients with the retrovirus are not getting NHS help and treatment

ME Group