scrubbedexpat099

USDA is basically a protectionist racket.

jamesshaffer

It's unbelievable that they have such a discriminatory practice here. I don't understand how can they hesitate when somebody's life can be at stake (I mean organ donation here). I wonder if there's absolutely no other way to check if there's something harmful in blood. It's weird that first they beg people to become donors and then they hesitate if someone can be a donor or not due to unclear circumstances.

Pulaski

It's not discriminatory, it's just an abundance of caution in keeping infected organs out of the organ donor system. I was an active blood donor in the UK, but honestly it really doesn't worry me if the US Red Cross doesn't want my blood.
Well there's not much point in transplanting, say, a kidney only to give someone, say, hepatitis and they die. It's tragic for the organ recipient but also a complete waste of $100,000 or more in performing the transplant!
At the moment there is no way to detect the infectious agent, the prion protein, in the blood stream, and in fact even CJD can only be absolutely diagnosed post mortem.

JAJ

No need to get worked up about it - the bit about organ donation (re. former U.K. residents) is forum myth.