Now There's a funny Thing....

[Trooperman]

Feeling altruistic, we went to meet the blood donor coach when it arrived in our village. I knew better than to try and offer my blood, tainted as it is with anti-coagulant drugs and sundry other medications, but my wife trotted up the steps and announced her willingness to give some of her blood to Andalucia and its health service (cue: Tony Hancock jokes about armfulls - if you're old enough to remember!) only to be told that unless we had lived in Spain continuously since 1980, they wouldn't/couldn't accept it! Apparently, it's always possible "our" blood - British that is - is tainted with mad cow disease!
Well I never.

[Pamela1]

Bet that doesn't include all the people either British or Spanish who may have continuously visited the Uk since 1980.

[olive]

We found the same when we tried to donate blood.

[Cádiz]

Feeling altruistic, we went to meet the blood donor coach when it arrived in our village. I knew better than to try and offer my blood, tainted as it is with anti-coagulant drugs and sundry other medications, but my wife trotted up the steps and announced her willingness to give some of her blood to Andalucia and its health service (cue: Tony Hancock jokes about armfulls - if you're old enough to remember!) only to be told that unless we had lived in Spain continuously since 1980, they wouldn't/couldn't accept it! Apparently, it's always possible "our" blood - British that is - is tainted with mad cow disease!
Well I never.

Did they actually state the reason....

[elusive]

The mad cow answer is the reason. You cant donate as said above. Probably the same if you had a blood transfusion aswell? A family member had a blood transfusion in the 80's during an op and they cant donate in the uk because of all the HIV etc etc infected blood the uk didnt mind buying in from America. Shame the drs etc werent as bothered then about all the poor souls who were given infected blood. A work collegues son had hemophilia and was given HIV thanks to the NHS. And died not long after.

[Trooperman]

Did they actually state the reason..

Yes! Our Spanish is not perfect and the nurse/supervisor had no English, but there was "vacas locas" in there!

[elusive]

Did they actually state the reason..

Yes! Our Spanish is not perfect and the nurse/supervisor had no English, but there was "vacas locas" in there!

lots of vacas locas around here.

[Cádiz]

Did they actually state the reason..

Yes! Our Spanish is not perfect and the nurse/supervisor had no English, but there was "vacas locas" in there!

lots of vacas locas around here.

cuantas piernas

[elusive]

i couldn't possible comment on that pregunta!

[scotty]

I've got Hemochromatosis and donate every 13 weeks. The Mad Cow question (lived in UK from XX to YY) has been there for years.