spalen

It has nothing to do with sexual proclivity, your views on body 'art' ,the number of orifices you have pierced. It is entirely due to the fact that the beef supply to UK was contaminated and most of us ate enough beef to carry mad-cow.

Many of the otherhalf's on this forum will attest to the number of mad cow's from britain in the mid 80's.

Swerv-o

My mate tells me that it's because of the possibility of infecting the population of Australia with BSE (or the human equivalent don't remember the proper name right now). There is no screening test to detect the syndrome, so there is just a blanket ban on british people between those ages giving blood.

Don't worry about the date thing - I havn't been able to get one either - And I've not told anyone about my blood!

S

Swerv-o

Proclivity - Now there's a word you don't see being used every day.

Excellent!

S

Pollyana

well we married Aussies didn't we....must prove something

amanda34

Yes, guess mad cow is pretty much stamped on my forehead anyway, so I have no chance!!!

Makes sense though......but also makes you wonder how many of us actualy may be carriers if they ban it outright as we didn't see a huge amount of cases that you would think would justify an outright ban.

Swerv-o

Difficult to say. As far as I remember, there is no test for it until your brain starts to turn into swiss cheese. Given that the possibilities exist though, it's a wonder that DIMIA don't just restrict immigration from the UK. Then there's no possibility of it contaminating anyone in any way. And no danger that Aus will have to fork out millions for BSE victim care that they didn't plan for.

S

amanda34

Yeh, you know how governments work though, its about the money and the way they will look at it is the Brit government would go tit for tat and do the same...then all the Aussies working in the UK and buying properties back home etc, also forcing house prices up (another issue) and renting out would be up the swanny and damaging the economy etc etc......its all politics.

I was chatting to my friend who has a few flats he rents out in Syndey, he works in London, earns London wages, buys places in Syndey and rents them out to the Brits over there on 457 visas etc......quite a little empire!!

I guess though, us Brits love the Aussies in the UK, but get the impression that love isnt the same when we arrive your side. We kind of tend to have our issues with different countries, so guess I will become the whinged at rather than the whinger about the bloody imigrants

Britishaussie

New Variant CJD (Creuzfeldt Jakob [sp?] Disease).

I'm an O negative which can be given to ANYONE so it's a bit of a shame I come into the no-no category. Over here they're always demanding me for it.

Swerv-o

That's the chap.

S

JAJ

It's got nothing to do with your nationality, but rather where you have lived. It's got nothing to do with your age either.

Many Australians are also affected because they have lived in Britain between 1980 and 1996. And not all British people have lived in the UK in this time period.

julie hilton

I'm a B+. What is your blood group?

Cheers

jensteve

When mad cow disease was at the peak in the UK on the tv etc, I can vividly remember a woman getting mad cow and the story surrounding her was really odd as she was a vegetarian, turns out she must have contracted it as a teenager when she did eat meat, so mad cow has been around for many more years than just the 80's and 90's. My dad in the farming industry says things like this are always there, they don't just appear out of nothing so the bet is we have all eaten mad cow meat back in the 60's and 70's as well so we are all doomed!

Thought that would make everyone feel a whole lot better, don't worry australians will probably find a weird wonderful "new" animal disease eventually and ban all meat sales so we will all end up vegetarians.
Its all a bit like 1984 the book isn't it?

Jenny

gruffbrown

It's the same here in the States, because of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)

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)


I'm just off to stumble into a wall sideways, while going MOOOO.

spalen

Bring on the soylent green

Australia_bound?

Sorry didn't quite get the bit about it not affecting many people? I was alive and in UK for more than 6 months between those dates and I give blood (here in UK) but I was a strict veggie so can't have got CJD. Think I'll lie and say I was dead during those dates......