History

In 1999, concerned about the growing number of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) cases-known informally as "mad cow disease"-the FDA enacted a ban on blood donors who had spent more than six months in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996. On January 18, an advisory committee to the FDA voted that the agency should widen the deferral criteria to include people who have lived for 10 years or more between 1980 and the present in France, Portugual and Ireland-three European countries where the number of BSE cases appears to be on the rise. Although there is still no evidence that indicates the recently emerged human form of BSE, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), can be transmitted through blood, blood products or plasma, some studies using laboratory animals indicate that transmission through blood and blood components may be possible. To reduce the theoretical risk of vCJD transmission and maintain the safety of the national blood supply, the American Red Cross supports further scientific research on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), the class of fatal brain diseases that includes BSE.