The American Red Cross invites those who spent time in the U.K., Ireland, or France and have never tried to give blood due to concerns over variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), related to mad cow disease, to give blood. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated its blood donor eligibility guidance on vCJD, eliminating the deferral for those who spent time in the U.K., Ireland, and France between 1980 and 2001.

In alignment with FDA changes, the Red Cross began accepting donations from individuals who have not tried giving blood before due to the prior donation criteria. In combination with prior eligibility updates in 2020 for those who spent time in other European countries, this new change effectively eliminates the deferral related to vCJD for all donors.

More people, especially those with type O blood, are urged to donate. Book a time to give by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting http://www.redcrossblood.org, or by calling 800-733-2767.