RED CROSS-REFUSED BLOOD donation.

They refuse blood from all EUROPE as well, FRANCE, ITALY, GERMANY...

I wanted to donate blood today but I was refused because of visit to Europe I made last year?


What is all this about?

MAD COW DISEASE

OTHER POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS

Acupuncture: one-year deferral
Alcohol: defer donation if consumed in last 12 hours
Body piercing: one-year deferral
Cocaine: taking through the nose (snorting); one-year deferral minimum, local Blood authority will prevail
Dental work - Cleaning and fillings: one-day deferral; Root canal: three-day deferral after work is complete
Ear piercing: can donate if the piercing was performed in a doctor’s office (with written verification) otherwise, one-year deferral
Electrolysis: defer donation for one year
Hepatitis exposure: one-year deferral
Menstruation: can donate
Rape: one-year deferral
Smoker: can donate
Tattoo in the last 12 months: one-year deferral
Transfusion: defer donation by one year if undergone transfusion with Blood products. Can donate if undergone autologous transfusion only

TRAVEL and RESIDENCY OUTSIDE of the UNITED STATES
England/United Kingdom - visited or lived in from 1980 to 1999: deferred indefinitely (this standard varies between United States FDA and The American Red Cross and the American Association of Blood Banks.
Western Europe - visited or lived in since 1980 deferred indefinitely
Born in, lived in or had sex with anyone who lived in, or received Blood products in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger or Nigeria since 1977 (this list changes frequently; updates are very important): deferral indefinitely.
Lived or traveled in an area where Malaria is prevalent (Central America and South America, etc.): three-year deferral,
Other international travelers: different restrictions apply as precaution against mad cow disease, depending on what blood bank and region period-red.gif (63 bytes)

Menstruating smokers can do ANYTHING!

" I studied in Europe for four years in the 80’s recently I decided to be a good citizen and donate blood (yesterday).

I was told that anyone who spent 4 years in certain countries in the 80’s is not allowed to be a blood donor.

I wonder who the Europeans get their blood from?

It depends on where you lived and the cumulative time you were there. To simply quote the American Red Cross

Any person who lived in certain parts of the world during certain times are unable to donate due to the risk of the human variant of Mad Cow Disease. The human variant is called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found."

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK). The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

Channel Islands
England
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames

From 1980 through 1990 – Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany
From 1980 through 1996 – Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.
You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including

in the UK from 1980 through 1996 as listed in above
on or associated with military bases as described above, and
in other countries in Europe as listed below:
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland (Republic of)
Italy
Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Netherlands (Holland)
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Yugoslavia (Federal Republic includes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia)


ARE People from all these country contaminated already?

Wait 12 months after travel in an area where malaria is found. Wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where malaria is found. Learn more about malaria and blood donation.

Wait 12 months after travel to Iraq.


Iraq? Why Iraq now?

huh.
Can't they just test you for mad cow?
Or is there something else going on here?
Why would they want only American blood?
What about canadians? Or mexicans?

I can't give blood either.

I donated blood today and asked what the ratio was on donations. I was told that currently 60% of the American population... And American Red Cross does NOT send it's blood over seas. It is collected and used in the general area, unless of a disaster, but it does not leave the US. Out of the 60% eligible to donate, only about 1-5% do, depending on location.
The American Red Cross, also screens the blood by various factors, including STDs. A number of factors besides the questionnaire can disqualify you. And since every thing is digitally data banked now... they can turn you down immediately. They also call you if they find something in your blood whether it be Syphilis or AIDS or some other crazy blood dysfunction. However, if you have the onset of a cold virus and you have a temp within the 48 hours that you donate, your blood could very well kill its recipient.
The blood is separated into a few bags after they draw it from you. Each bag has a color coded caped vial attached to it. 2 cups of the One Pint they draw is separated into these bags and vials and tested for Virus', Diseases, HIV/AIDS, other various STD's. Everything is marked with a bar code and double checked by two phlebotomists for proper encoding.
A mis-step here, can disqualify your blood use.

Your blood is then sent for testing and if anything comes back that is abnormal you will receive a call within 5 days. It takes approximately 2-3 days to have the blood tested and then transported to its location. Again, most blood never even leaves the state. There are donations clinics in most major towns or cities.

The Red Crescent Association is the over seas equivalent to the American Red Cross. I think that most of the restrictions on blood traveling is the short shelf life of about 42 days. They are a non for profit organization who run all these tests and have traveling units to collect. They run off of donations and support to pay their employees and to run the tests.

If you live near a hospital or a place that offers blood transfusions, you will see blood drives often.

Chernobyl?

Notice that the cowardly Brits aren't posting on this thread.

Won't matter now - but Iraq was saturated with depleted uranium ammo...

It's about Mad Cow Disease.

I lived in Italy for some time in the Navy. It started as a 3-year ban, and now it is a lifetime ban.

There's no PRE-Mortem test, as the Prions that cause CJD/BSE are too small to detect.

mad cow is a dumb reson since its in american beef, it has been found and we only test less than 1% of it, scrapie (mad cow) is also very high in american game population, some sources say upwards of 30% of sheep are infected.
roadkill squirrels have been idetified with the disease. in america

The reptiles are drinking the goods.......

im thinking its most likely the prions they are looking for.
they are literally indestrustable.

WHAT are we contaminated with?

They always take my plasma. I even get postcard reminders in the mail. I've had full series anthrax vax and boosters.

I don't believe that CJD/ mad cow shit. It HAS to be something else.

As an employee I am verifying that the reason is Mad Cow Disease. The testing for the disease can only be done Post-Mortem because a sample of brain tissue is needed to verify the results. ARC cannot take the chance that someone might be infected.

how long can or does it take for this disease to manifest symptoms? or can it even be asymptomatic? i mean it seems like 20 years ago is plenty long enough to present?
doesnt add up imo

40 years dormant period

Up to 40 years