How many other veterans and service members are not permitted to donate blood? Why?
What Happened to Mad Cow Disease?
If you were around in the '90s, you might remember the scare over mad cow disease, but it seems to have quieted down in the intervening years. What happened?...
[Note: I updated the question from "veterans" to "Veterans and service members" on June 6, 2015 - 71st anniversary of D Day - Operation Overlord]
[update May 18, 2018] As of 2017, worldwide 230 people, roughly 180 in the UK have been infected with vCJD and 4 people in the USA have been infected.
Mad Cow and VCJD are nervous system diseases which are based on diseased prions [not the car]. Diseased prions binds to proteins and converts them to prions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxojz6grwcU
Thanks to 1SG (Join to see) for alerting me that "there is progress in the development of methods to detect misfolded proteins in the bloodstream" I did research and found the following at an NIH site.
As this article informs us there has been progress in control groups testing of "developed blood tests to detect prion." The article states that there are plans to "validate their methods using larger samples sizes."
Hopefully this process will be successful to detect whether or not we have been infected by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD); "Mad Cow Disease."
"Prion diseases are a group of rare, fatal brain diseases that affect animals and humans. They are caused by normally harmless proteins that become abnormal and form clumps in the brain. One form, called variant CJD (vCJD), is associated with eating meat from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “mad cow” disease.
People may have vCJD for years before symptoms—such as depression, hallucinations, moving difficulties, and dementia—appear. These “silent” carriers have small amounts of prions in their bloodstreams and can transmit the disease to others via blood transfusions. The only current method to diagnose vCJD is to perform a biopsy or a postmortem analysis of brain tissue. Thus, a noninvasive test to detect prions in blood is a medical priority.
Two research groups recently developed blood tests to detect prions. The results appeared in a pair of papers published on December 21, 2016, in Science Translational Medicine. One of the groups, led by Dr. Claudio Soto of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
Prions are scarce in the bloodstream and difficult to measure. Both teams developed methods to amplify the prions in blood samples using a technique called protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). PMCA relies on the characteristic nature of prions to cause certain healthy proteins to clump abnormally and convert into prions.
Soto’s group first combined healthy proteins with known concentrations of infectious vCJD prions. They intermittently agitated these mixtures with sound waves. The agitation helped break the prions into smaller chunks. This increased the number of prions that could then convert healthy proteins into prions. Using this method, the scientists were able to detect more than a billion-fold dilution of prions using an anti-prion antibody.
The scientists next tested whether the technique could be used to detect prions in blood samples from 14 people with vCJD and 153 controls. The controls included healthy people as well as people with different neurological or neurodegenerative disorders, including sporadic CJD, the most common form of CJD. The assay flagged all the vCJD samples correctly.
In the second paper, a French research group described a similar approach testing a blinded panel of blood samples. That team identified 18 vCJD patients in a group of 256 samples.
“Our findings, which need to be confirmed in further studies, suggest that our method of detection could be useful for the noninvasive diagnosis of this disease in pre-symptomatic individuals,” Soto says. Early diagnosis would allow potential therapies to be tested before substantial brain damage occurred. This technique would also allow blood contaminated with prions to be detected and removed from the blood supply.
Both teams are now working to validate their methods using larger samples sizes.
―by Anita Ramanathan
nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/new-method-accurately-detects-prions-blood
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I realize some of you were not exposed to Bovine Spongiform infected beef. However I would like to honor you as honorary leaders in this distinguished Mac Cow Brigade of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD) badged military service members :-)
Thanks to 1SG (Join to see) for alerting me that "there is progress in the development of methods to detect misfolded proteins in the bloodstream" I did research and found the following at an NIH site.
As this article informs us there has been progress in control groups testing of "developed blood tests to detect prion." The article states that there are plans to "validate their methods using larger samples sizes."
Hopefully this process will be successful to detect whether or not we have been infected by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD); "Mad Cow Disease."
"Prion diseases are a group of rare, fatal brain diseases that affect animals and humans. They are caused by normally harmless proteins that become abnormal and form clumps in the brain. One form, called variant CJD (vCJD), is associated with eating meat from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “mad cow” disease.
People may have vCJD for years before symptoms—such as depression, hallucinations, moving difficulties, and dementia—appear. These “silent” carriers have small amounts of prions in their bloodstreams and can transmit the disease to others via blood transfusions. The only current method to diagnose vCJD is to perform a biopsy or a postmortem analysis of brain tissue. Thus, a noninvasive test to detect prions in blood is a medical priority.
Two research groups recently developed blood tests to detect prions. The results appeared in a pair of papers published on December 21, 2016, in Science Translational Medicine. One of the groups, led by Dr. Claudio Soto of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).
Prions are scarce in the bloodstream and difficult to measure. Both teams developed methods to amplify the prions in blood samples using a technique called protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA). PMCA relies on the characteristic nature of prions to cause certain healthy proteins to clump abnormally and convert into prions.
Soto’s group first combined healthy proteins with known concentrations of infectious vCJD prions. They intermittently agitated these mixtures with sound waves. The agitation helped break the prions into smaller chunks. This increased the number of prions that could then convert healthy proteins into prions. Using this method, the scientists were able to detect more than a billion-fold dilution of prions using an anti-prion antibody.
The scientists next tested whether the technique could be used to detect prions in blood samples from 14 people with vCJD and 153 controls. The controls included healthy people as well as people with different neurological or neurodegenerative disorders, including sporadic CJD, the most common form of CJD. The assay flagged all the vCJD samples correctly.
In the second paper, a French research group described a similar approach testing a blinded panel of blood samples. That team identified 18 vCJD patients in a group of 256 samples.
“Our findings, which need to be confirmed in further studies, suggest that our method of detection could be useful for the noninvasive diagnosis of this disease in pre-symptomatic individuals,” Soto says. Early diagnosis would allow potential therapies to be tested before substantial brain damage occurred. This technique would also allow blood contaminated with prions to be detected and removed from the blood supply.
Both teams are now working to validate their methods using larger samples sizes.
―by Anita Ramanathan
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/new-method-accurately-detects-prions-blood
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New method accurately detects prions in blood
A sensitive blood test accurately detected variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an incurable and fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The method could be used to diagnose prion diseases and prevent disease transmission.
Being stationed in UK for three years or more during the bovine spongiform encephalopathy risk period, is one of the few areas that are still justified to be forbidden to donate.
Ironically, my extended family lives in UK [Britain and Wales] and once cousin lives in France. They have always been able to donate blood.
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Maj Robert Thornton MSgt Gloria Vance COL Charles Williams
Illeshiem was a nice post. I was in Ansbach (Katterbach) in the early 80's. Was back there Nov, 17...much has changed. The downtown Hindenburg Kaserne 1st AD HQ is now a shopping mall! Still a very beautiful area in Bavaria.
Based on the American Red Cross from June 30, 2021
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical/eligibility-reference-material.html
It seems that being stationed or being a dependent in Germany, Turkey and other duty stations in Europe [outside of the Great Britain, Ireland and France [for 5 years or more] has been lifted from the prohibition for donating blood lists.
At this time, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:
You are not eligible to donate if
From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in any country in the United Kingdom (UK),
Channel Islands England Falkland Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any of the countries listed below:
France Ireland Channel Islands England Falkland Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
Based on the American Red Cross from June 30, 2021
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical/eligibility-reference-material.html
It seems that being stationed or being a dependent in Germany, Turkey and other duty stations in Europe [outside of the Great Britain, Ireland and France [for 5 years or more] has been lifted from the prohibition for donating blood lists.
At this time, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:
You are not eligible to donate if
From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in any country in the United Kingdom (UK),
Channel Islands England Falkland Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any of the countries listed below:
France Ireland Channel Islands England Falkland Islands Gibraltar Isle of Man Northern Ireland Scotland Wales
I am thankful for many things about Chick-fil-A and the positions taken by its founder to ensure high quality food and that all employees have Sunday off.
Many veterans who served this nation and happened to be stationed for 6 months or more during the 1980's and early 1990's can not donate blood because of the possibility that we ate beef which had bovine spongiform [Mad Cow Disease]. I enjoy the commercials where cows recommend that we "Eat mor chiken".
In a humorous discussion of RallyPoint a network for active duty military and veterans, I recommended that many of us who can no longer donate blood be part of an "angry cow brigade" in the background of a Chick-fil-a commercial encouraging humans to eat more chicken. :-)
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From 2015 " Rules governing who can donate blood in the United States have recently changed. But anyone who spent more than three months in the UK between 1980 and 1996 is still prohibited from donating.
I am posting a separate response to let others know that the UK is not affected by a ban from Bovine Spongiform.
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The onsets occurred with decreasing frequency and severity in the years following, but doctors tell me it's still there waiting for my health to weaken so that it can jump out and kill me eventually.
Yes, some strains of malaria can be eradicated, but the doctors can't tell which I have until it comes out of hiding.
In the meantime, I've been told not to donate blood inasmuch as it is a blood-borne disease.
-In Him, Margaret
Because of potential exposure to and infection with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD) - "Mad Cow Disease" you are not eligible to donate if:
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames
From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany
From 1980 through 1996 - Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.
I found at the following information which has quotes bounding each paragraph at the MD Travel Health website http://www.mdtravelhealth.com/infectious/mad_cow_disease.php
which is generally corroborated by information I found at Canadian Health sites and other US medical sites.
"Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a degenerative neurologic disease acquired by eating beef from cows with a related illness known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) ("mad cow disease"). The disorder was initially described in the United Kingdom. As of June 2005, there were 155 definite or probable cases of variant CJD reported from the United Kingdom, as well as a small number of cases from France, Italy, and the Republic of Ireland. "Mad cow disease" has also been identified in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, and the United States, but human cases have not been reported from these countries to date."
"Bovine spongiform encephalopathy appears to be caused by abnormal proteins called prions, which do not resemble bacteria, viruses, or other conventional causes of human and animal disease. The agent that causes BSE is transmitted when meat and bone meal feed prepared from the carcasses of infected animals is fed back to other cattle. (This practice has been banned within the European Union and many other countries). The infection is not transmitted directly from animal to animal within herds. A new case of BSE arising within a country is therefore much more significant than an imported case, because it implies that recycled ruminant protein is still being used within that country as animal feed, against all current recommendations."
"The agent that causes BSE is concentrated in nervous tissue, such as brain and spinal cord. Since this agent has never been found in skeletal muscle, which is the source of most quality meat, the current thinking is that most cases of variant CJD are caused by contamination of meat by nervous tissue during slaughter and processing. Careful slaughter practices can therefore markedly reduce the risk of acquiring variant CJD, even in a country where BSE is known to occur."
"The incubation period of variant CJD appears to be several years or longer. Initial symptoms may be psychiatric, similar to depression or (less often) psychosis. Patients may complain of unusual sensory symptoms, such as "stickiness" of the skin. Later symptoms include unsteady gait, involuntary movements, dementia, and mutism, progressing inevitably to death within 1-2 years. There is no treatment."
"Variant CJD can only be acquired by eating beef or beef products; i.e if you do not consume beef or beef products while visiting a country which has reported "mad cow disease", you cannot become infected. There is no evidence of any risk from pork, lamb, milk or milk products. The Centers for Disease Control does not advise against eating European beef, but suggests that travelers who wish to reduce their risk may either abstain from beef completely while in Europe or eat only solid pieces of muscle meat, such as steak, rather than products like sausage or chopped meat that might be contaminated during processing. Cooking, drying, or freezing does not inactivate the agent that causes new variant CJD or prevent its transmission."
I wonder how much radiation exposure would be required to destroy any Mad Cow infection and if we could survive that level of radiation. I have had several does of thallium radiation for heart studies and more CT Scans of my abdomen with contrast than I can remember.
When I talked with the Red Cross a couple months ago, research blood screening for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD) - "Mad Cow Disease" was somewhere on the list of potentially priority funded research. I certainly hope that NIH, Red Cross, etc. will be directed to move up the priority for this blood screening process so that most of the hundreds of thousands of us currently restricted will be permitted to donate blood.
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mdtravelhealth.com - complete travel healthinformation, updated daily, for physicians and travelers.
AS you know well only an autopsy can confirm vCJD and we are not volunteering for that operations, my friend :-)
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but alas...I no longer donate...ive never checked into it to see if I can or not, but I think due to the meds I take for my heart disease, Im not allowed...plus...I take plavix...which is a blood thinner...id bleed like a stuck hog when they would pull that big old 16 gauge needle out of my arm...lol...but I do encourage everyone who is eligible to donate....as often as possible...it is one of those things where you do something good for someone...but never know the outcome of it....
I am also an organ donor....
Blood Donor Eligibility: Blood Pressure, Pregnancy, Disease & More | American Red Cross
Are you considering donating blood with the American Red Cross. Learn more about our eligibility requirements for blood donors.
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