USA, Canada in UK blood ban

18 August 1999

USA, Canada in UK blood ban

US and Canadian authorities have announced new restrictions on blood donations from travellers to the UK.

They based their decision on concerns that the human variant of “mad cow” disease could be transmitted through blood.

The US Food and Drug Administration is recommending that blood centres exclude donors who had been in the UK for more than six months between 1980 and 1996.

Canadian health authorities made a similar ruling.

• Financial Times 18/08/99 page 3