The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have made updates on deferral guidelines for blood donors concerning Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), or Mad Cow Disease.

What Is Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), or Mad Cow Disease?

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a rare and fatal brain disease that is linked to eating meat from cows infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow disease”. BSE was first found in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Most occurrences of vCJD were in the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with some cases also appearing in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the United States, and Canada.

Policies have since been put in place to prevent the exposure of animals and humans to BSE, leading to a decline in BSE cases and specific vCJD prevention measures no longer needed.

Two women from the UK donate blood for the first time in the US after their mad cow deferral was lifted.

Can I Donate Blood If I Have a “Mad Cow” Deferral?

For decades, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibited people who traveled, lived, or had a transfusion in the UK, Ireland, and France from 1980 to present from donating blood. The deferral was in place due to concerns of transmitting vCJD through a blood transfusion.

However, after years of research and review, in 2022 the FDA determined that the risk of contracting “mad cow disease” from a blood transfusion is not likely.

The update now means that if you were previously deferred, you are now eligible to donate blood, as long as you meet all other donor eligibility requirements.

What Do I Need to Do Before Coming in to Donate?

If you had attempted to donate with OneBlood or a legacy blood center in the past and were deferred under the previous FDA vCJD guidelines, please fill out our online form or call our Donor Advocacy Department at 1-888-936-6283 (ext. 33858). Our team will review your file and contact you by phone or email to let you know if you are eligible to be re-entered as a blood donor.

Please allow 6-8 weeks for a response, and please refrain from attempting to donate until our team contacts you and informs you of your eligibility status.

If you have never attempted to donate with OneBlood, you DO NOT need to fill out the form or contact Donor Advocacy. Since you do not need to be re-entered into our system, you can go ahead and make a blood donation appointment at a OneBlood location near you.

Welcome back blood donors! We hope to see you soon.