Summarized by Janus Wilkinson
Ex-Missionaries to Britain Can't Give Blood
Salt Lake Tribune (AP) 20Aug99 C3
Ex-Missionaries to Britain Can't Give Blood
ST. GEORGE -- The Red cross is now banning anyone that was in England for a period of
six months or more during the years 1980-1996 from giving blood. This, of
course, affects thousands of returned missionaries from The Chuch of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The ban is due to a concern that a new, deadly variant of
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a relative of mad cow disease, may have tainted
their blood.
Judy Christensen, a spokesman for the Utah Red Cross had these comments
regarding the impact on Utah's blood supply, "we have no idea how the Utah
population will be affected in terms of blood supplies. We know we will feel
some impact, but we are not sure there is a way to even evaluate it."
The ban affects 14,209 missionaries from around the world who served in
England.
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