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HEALTH

FACT CHECK: Are Brits banned from giving blood in Sweden?

In many countries, potential blood doners who lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 are banned from giving blood due to a risk of mad cow disease. What's the situation like in Sweden?

FACT CHECK: Are Brits banned from giving blood in Sweden?
Photo: Leif R Jansson/Scanpix/TT

Why are Brits banned from giving blood in some countries?

Blood donation bans for anyone living in the UK between 1980-96 are currently in place across Europe: Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Norway all currently have permanent bans on donating blood for anyone in this group.

Brits in this group are also banned from giving blood in the US and Canada.

These bans were originally introduced in the 90s amid an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the UK, commonly referred to as “mad cow disease” in English, or galna ko-sjukan in Swedish.

Mad cow disease is spread by eating the meat of affected cattle, hence the ban for people resident in the UK during the outbreak.

There’s currently no way of screening blood for BSE, and with estimates suggesting that as many as one in 2,000 people in the UK could carry the disease, many countries chose to ban donations from this group altogether back in the 90s as a precautionary measure.

Now, some countries – such as Ireland in 2019 and Australia in 2022 – have started to lift bans on British blood donations, following reviews of epidemiological data and expert advice.

What’s the situation like in Sweden?

In Sweden, the situation is slightly different. Anyone wanting to give blood must answer a series of questions on their medical and personal history, including a question asking whether they lived in the UK for six months between 1980 and 1996.

The Local contacted GeBlod, Sweden’s blood donor organisation, to ask about this question and what it means for prospective blood donors in Sweden.

“In Skåne, it’s possible to donate blood even if you have lived in the UK for more than six months between 1980 and 1996,” Ingrid Johansson, GeBlod spokesperson for the Skåne region told The Local.

“We split the bag of blood which is donated into red blood cells, plasma and platelets. The plasma can also be sent to medicine production if it’s not given to the patient.”

Johansson said that this could differ in different regions.

“In Skåne, we don’t send this plasma [from those living in the UK at this time] to medicine production. You can donate blood, but the plasma won’t be used to make medicines, it will go to patients, like most plasma does.”

It may seem counterintuitive that plasma can be given to patients but not used in medicine production, but it’s because of pharmaceutical regulations.

Pharmaceutical companies often make drugs for sale all over the world, meaning that it is easier to comply with international rules on British blood use in medicines rather than use materials which won’t be accepted in some countries.

Although many countries have begun to allow British blood donors to donate blood, it would require each individual country with a ban on British blood to change their laws before medicines using British plasma could be approved worldwide.

Johansson said that regulations could differ in different areas of Sweden, so it’s a good idea to check with your local blood donation centre first if you’re interested in donating blood.

“In some parts of Sweden, they don’t send plasma to the same company we do, rather to another company. It depends on what requirements the company has.”

She stressed that it was important to donate blood anyway if you can, even though they might not be able to use all parts of the blood you donate if you’re in this group.

“We need all the blood donors we can get – what you should do though, is contact the blood donation centre if you were in the UK for more than six months between 1980 and 96, and let them know, just to make sure they can use your blood.”

The Local also contacted Ingrid Engström, GeBlod’s communications officer in Stockholm, who said Brits are able to give blood there.

“If you’ve lived in the UK during this time, we don’t use your plasma. That’s plasma for medicine production.”

“These are national questions – the same questions are used across Sweden,” she said. “The question we ask is ‘have you stayed in the UK for more than six months between 1980 and 1996?’ and then you answer ‘yes, I have’, and then we ask if you were ill or if any of your close family have had mad cow disease. If you answer ‘no’ to that question, you can donate blood. We just won’t use your plasma.”

You must be able to speak Swedish – unless you live in Stockholm

“In Stockholm – only in Stockholm – we can take donations from people who speak English,” Engström said. “We can carry out the health declaration in English”.

“It’s a good idea to call ahead to make sure you can get help – in most places, some of us are trained to carry out a health declaration in English. But it’s a good idea to call and make sure someone is working that day who can do that.”

Engström hoped that the service would be offered in other regions too.

“It’s a question of resources, really. Not all regions are able to do it.”

On top of speaking Swedish (or English in Stockholm), blood donors in Sweden must also have a Swedish personal number and Swedish ID – such as a drivers licence or Skatteverket’s ID card.

What about other countries?

Those who were born and raised in tropical areas with a malaria risk may have to wait before giving blood, even if they’ve never had the disease.

“You can’t have had malaria, and if you spent your first five years of life in a country which has a malaria risk and you travel back to that area, you’ll be banned from giving blood for three years. So if you go back often, you might never be able to give blood,” Engström explained.

“If you’ve ever had malaria, you can’t donate blood. I could travel abroad and get malaria today, and I wouldn’t be able to donate blood any more,” she added.

“Otherwise, for everyone else, you can’t donate blood for six months after returning from an area with a malaria risk.”

How great is the need for blood in Sweden?

“There’s a great need for blood right now – everywhere, the number of operations has increased now that hospitals want to shorten their queues after the pandemic, so there’s a need for more blood to be able to complete these,” Engström said.

“In general, just in the Stockholm region, we use around 100 litres of blood a day in our hospitals. If we zoom out to the whole of Sweden, one bag of blood is used per minute, around the clock, every day of the year.”

“So it’s a lot. We need more people to give blood, we need a larger base – not everyone can run and go give blood four times a year or three times a year for women, that’s one thing, but on the other hand, we need a group of people who are able to give blood which we can call in, ask to come in and give blood now, for example.”

Engström also mentioned the importance of giving blood, specifically now and in the run-up to the summer months.

“You’re very welcome to come and give blood before you go on holiday. People go on holiday, obviously, but the healthcare need stays the same.”

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FAMILY

What should you do when someone dies in Sweden?

They say nothing in life can be certain apart from death and taxes, but if there's a third certainty, it must be Swedish bureaucracy. Here's how to register a death, arrange a funeral and figure out who inherits what.

What should you do when someone dies in Sweden?

If your loved one dies unexpectedly at home or elsewhere, you should call Sweden’s emergency number 112. If their death was expected, due to illness or old age, you can call the person’s medical contact if they have one. A doctor will come to the house and confirm their death.

If the person dies in hospital or a care home a doctor will confirm their death.

The doctor will send the death certificate (dödsbevis) to Swedish authorities. As soon as the Tax Agency receives the certificate, they will register the death in the Swedish population register.

Who do I need to inform?

If the person is a foreign citizen, you need to notify the authorities in their home country. If you contact their country’s embassy in Sweden, they will be able to help you figure out the process.

You need to inform people as soon as you can, including friends, family and colleagues.

The first step after that may be to contact a funeral home (begravningsbyrå) who will be able to organise the funeral and the reading of a will, but also advise on what needs to be done next.

One of the first admin tasks is to order a so-called dödsfallsintyg (which also translates as death certificate, but is different from the one the doctor writes) from the Swedish Tax Agency. This will show the date of death and remaining family members, including spouse and children. If you choose to use the services of a funeral home, they will be able to order a dödsfallsintyg for you.

Swedish authorities run a site called Efterlevandeguiden for people who have lost a loved one. It contains among other things a checklist in English for what to do when someone dies (their guide is genuinely very helpful, so we advise having a look if you’re in this situation).

A funeral home can help you with as much as you need, but there’s usually a lot of decisions and tasks that you’re best placed to do, so it’s a good idea to get as much help as possible.

Many Swedes don’t like to intrude on other people’s business, so there is a risk you find that fewer people than you expect will reach out to you to offer to help or even send their condolences. In most cases, this is due to a (perhaps misplaced) respect for privacy rather than an unwillingness to help, but we’ve generally found that Swedes, when asked, are more keen to help than you think.

How do I organise the funeral?

Sweden allows a lot more time between the death and the burial than many other countries and cultures, with the laws stating that the burial must take place within one month of the death.

That said, the aim is always to respect the traditions and culture of the deceased person.

All residents in Sweden, including foreign citizens, pay a yearly funeral fee (begravningsavgift – it’s part of your tax statement, so chances are you’ve never noticed you’re paying it). This gives them the right to be buried or cremated in their Swedish home municipality for free.

Most cemeteries in Sweden are public spaces and are run by the Church of Sweden on behalf of the state, which means people from other religions may also be buried there. If you want the Church of Sweden to organise a funeral ceremony for you as well however, the deceased person will have had to be a member of the church in order to receive the ceremony for free.

If you want to spread the person’s ashes in a place other than a cemetery, you need to first get permission from the country administrative board (Länsstyrelsen).

Who pays for the funeral?

Some of it, such as a burial plot and a venue in which to hold a ceremony, has already been paid for through taxes, but there may be other expenses such as a fee for the funeral home, flowers, food for the funeral goers, a bespoke coffin, any music you wish to play, and so on.

A funeral usually ends up costing around 20,000-30,000 kronor, which is primarily paid for through the estate (dödsboet). If there’s not enough money, the estate can apply to the social services for financial support in order for the deceased person to receive a dignified burial.

If you want the deceased person to be buried in another country than Sweden, the transport of the coffin or urn will be paid for by the estate, but it could be expensive, so you should also check whether they had travel or home insurance which could cover the cost of transport. 

You need to request documents from the Swedish Tax Agency to transport the body from Sweden. The form is called passersedel för lik or, if the person is cremated in Sweden before their ashes are to be moved abroad, passersedel för stoft.

You also need to get the funeral home to confirm that the coffin or urn is safe for transport and contains what it is said to contain, and you need to get permission from the authorities in the other country.

How do I deal with all the admin?

Again, a funeral home can help you out, but the first step is the death certificate from the Tax Agency. This document will help you not only in organising the funeral, but also in dealing with administrative matters such as cancelling direct debits or contracts, or redirecting post.

Note that banks are automatically informed when someone dies, and then automatically block some of the services used by the deceased until the person’s will has been executed, including joint accounts. If you and your partner have joint bank accounts, it may for this reason make sense for you to also have individual accounts so that you don’t get blocked from all your accounts if your partner dies.

Any outstanding bills that still need to be paid should be paid for by the estate (if there’s money left after paying the funeral and probate costs, which are prioritised). Any debts will also be paid by the estate, or written off. You are not responsible for paying the deceased’s debts yourself.

Before all of this, a so-called bouppteckning will have to be arranged. This is the procedure for going through all of the deceased’s assets and debts. It can be done privately, or with the help of the funeral home, and needs to be submitted to the Tax Agency within four months.

Here’s a useful guide for administering the estate. 

What about inheritance?

In general, the inheritance laws of the country where the deceased lives apply.

In Sweden, if the deceased was not married, but had children, the children inherit. 

If the children are no longer alive, their children, i.e. the grandchildren of the deceased person, are next in line, followed by the great grandchildren (and so on, if they exist).

If there are no direct descendants left, inheritance passes to parents, followed by siblings, nieces or nephews, grandparents, and aunts or uncles. 

Cousins do not automatically have inheritance rights, and note that neither do sambos (co-habiting but non-married couples) unless they are listed in the deceased’s will. 

If there’s a will, it trumps the above order with one major exception: direct heirs (bröstarvingar), i.e. children, grandchildren et cetera, always have the right to half of their inheritance, the so-called legal share (laglott).

If the person was married, a division of joint assets (bodelning) first needs to be carried out to see how many of their assets belong to the estate and how many belong to the surviving spouse – unless they did not have children, in which case all their assets are automatically inherited by their spouse.

If the deceased and their spouse had children together, the spouse inherits everything and is allowed to spend the assets as they wish as long as he or she is alive. Their joint children are only entitled to their share of the inheritance – whatever is left – once both parents are dead.

If the deceased had children with someone else before they married their current spouse, those children (known as särkullbarn) have the right to get their share of the inheritance before their parent’s spouse dies. They are however free to waive this right in favour of the surviving spouse.

There’s no inheritance tax in Sweden.

The above guide tries to address some of the main matters, but barely scratches the surface. Do you have any specific questions about what to do when a loved one dies in Sweden? You’re always welcome to email our editorial team at [email protected]

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