Donating Blood & Platelets: FAQs About Mad Cow Disease  1. Why
have donor restrictions been placed on individuals who have
spent five years or more in Europe between 1980 and the present?
In some parts of the world, a fatal brain disease called Mad Cow
Disease has infected cattle. In these locations, primarily in
parts of Europe, people have been diagnosed with a new disease
called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD), which is also a
fatal brain disease. It is theorized that vCJD is a form of Mad
Cow Disease that has been transferred to humans by eating
infected beef. While there have not been any documented cases of
vCJD being transmitted by blood transfusions, the Food and Drug
Administration, the federal agency that regulates blood
collection in the United States, has recently placed
restrictions on whether an individual may donate blood based on
how much time they have spent in countries where cows have been
affected by Mad Cow Disease. The restrictions are based on a
theoretical risk of transmitting