doctor scrumpy

I was in the local mall lunchtime and noticed a blood drive going on. When I asked it seems that you cannot give blood if you have been near the UK since 1980. Anyone know why this is the case ?

Is it that there is too much tea in the UK bloodstream for these colonials to deal with ??


A pint ? That's very nearly an armful ! I'm not walking round with an empty arm for anyone Doctor. ( Anthony Hancock esq. )

Jan Alaska

our blood is just wayy too rich for them doc scrumpy ...

but yes it is true ... not allowed to give blood .. no idea why they just bein stuck up !

Jan

Manc

Because they think we all have vCJD from eating Beef.

Like I am mad...........


wibble.

Jan Alaska

and of course they dont have mad cow !

*sigh*

Jan

Yorkieabroad

Yep - was told the same - you are banned from donating if you had lived in the UK for more than 6 months since 1985. Mad cow disease. Don't know the relevance of either the date or the period, (someone was spouting off on this a while ago, so sure to get chapter and verse..) but it is kind of annoying when we are constantly bombarded with articles on the dire state of the local blood banks...

It was the same when we lived in singapore as well - banned from donating blood there. So I tried when I relocated (briefly) to London and guess what - banned there too cos I'd lived in Singapore!! Guess my red stuff aint good enough for anybody!!

doctor scrumpy

That is due to the alcohol in your blood ( Or the blood in the alcohol flowing in your veins even ? )

NC Penguin

My (American) husband enquired about giving blood soon after we moved to the US. The exact reason why Brits and those who lived in the UK after 1985 can't give blood, at least to the American Red Cross, is that they do not have the money to pay for the test to test for the types of CJD that can kill humans.

So, they've erred on the side of caution and forbidden us from donating blood.




NC Penguin

doctor scrumpy

Seems they are happy for us to shed blood with them ( or indeed because of them )

matt_in_philly

The President of the USA says that mad cow disease doesn't do jackshit to humanbeings. I take his word for it. He wouldn't lie would he? Not only he is partners with Bin Laden family in oil business and helped them to leave USA right after 9/11, I think he also has a lot of money invested in beef business. What a ****ing interesting country.

Pulaski

Unless somthing has changed in the past few months, their is no test for vCJD, .... except the post mortem one, and by then it is a bit late to consider becoming a blood donor!

JulianB

My type (AB-) is quite rare. When I was in the UK, I donated regularly, and was on a kinda call list, as I agreed to donate at short notice at the local hospital. I wanted to donate here, but alas no dice.

dunroving

AB neg is rare (AB is rare, and neg makes it even more rare), but AB people are universal recipients, aren't they (can take A, B, O, or AB)? And AB can only be accepted by other ABs (i.e., can't be accepted by O, A, or B). Why did your hospital ask you to be on a call list? Because of the negative factor? Wouldn't be b/c of being AB.... AB blood is only useable by other AB people, who can take any blood type.

JulianB

From what I understand, it was simply the fact that they were required to maintain a minimum stock level. That level was very small, but the rules is the rules.
Anyone else any ideas?, I was just doing me bit.

Ash UK/US

After I found out I was pregnant with my daughter and found a doctor etc we were asked to consider 'cord donation' they use cells to treat childrens cancer etc. However same thing... when they found out I had moved here from the UK they did not want know.

Ash