USA to ban British blood

03 June 1999

USA to ban British blood

AMERICAN doctors are preparing to ban blood donations from people who have visited Britain for as little as six months in an attempt to guard against the spread of the human form of mad cow disease.

The decision to stop the donations was made by experts advising the US Food and Drug Administration.

Their fears are that visitors to Britain may have absorbed the BSE agent through eating contaminated food, and could then pass it on through blood donations.

• The Independent 03/06/99 page 10