Malaria-endemic Country

According to the malaria guidance issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2013, any country that has areas that are considered endemic for malaria is considered a “malaria-endemic country.” This designation has meaning mostly for people who are residents (living for more than five consecutive years) of a country that has malaria. Those individuals, according to the guidance, will not be allowed to donate blood (i.e., will be “deferred“) for a minimum of three years after they leave the country in question. Importantly, this deferral applies regardless of whether the person ever went to the malaria-endemic area while they lived in the country! Individuals who travel (note the definition) to an endemic country and are in an endemic area for more than 24 hours are deferred for one year by U.S. FDA guidance. Also note that those who travel to an endemic country but not an endemic area in that country are NOT required to be deferred by the FDA.

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