I found out today that my 8-year-old daughter is a mad cow. So is my 5-year-old son.
From trying to donate blood in France, where you can't give blood if you've lived in the UK for a cumulative year, I'd known for a while that I and even Laurence were mad cows, but this latest revelation did come as something of a surprise.
The problem is that here in the United States they are so worried about contracting vCJD, the human form of BSE, that you may not give blood if you have spent just 3 months in the UK or indeed a total of five years in one of the following European countries at any time since 1980:
That makes both Anna and Tom officially mad as hatters.
Ironically, the Web site of the American Red Cross - the organisation responsible for collecting blood - states the following:
"There is no evidence that CJD can be transmitted from donors to patients through blood transfusions. However, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen."
By that token, I could claim that all Americans are stupid because they've had fully eight years under George W Bush. I know that there's no evidence that stupidity can be transmitted from the president to the people through citizenship, but hey, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen.
From trying to donate blood in France, where you can't give blood if you've lived in the UK for a cumulative year, I'd known for a while that I and even Laurence were mad cows, but this latest revelation did come as something of a surprise.
The problem is that here in the United States they are so worried about contracting vCJD, the human form of BSE, that you may not give blood if you have spent just 3 months in the UK or indeed a total of five years in one of the following European countries at any time since 1980:
- Albania
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- The Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Montenegro
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
That makes both Anna and Tom officially mad as hatters.
Ironically, the Web site of the American Red Cross - the organisation responsible for collecting blood - states the following:
"There is no evidence that CJD can be transmitted from donors to patients through blood transfusions. However, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen."
By that token, I could claim that all Americans are stupid because they've had fully eight years under George W Bush. I know that there's no evidence that stupidity can be transmitted from the president to the people through citizenship, but hey, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen.
4 comments:
Mind you! The result of the last election shows quite clearly that there has NOT been any contamination! Quite the contrary! Their immune system has finally kicked in with a vengeance.
Have a nice day!
I don't go around saying "Moo", so I clearly don't have BSE. But they still won't take my blood.
You may not think or talk like a cow, but as the younger brother whose head you farted on all those years ago - I know your methane production has decidely bovine proportions!
Must have been all the Woolworth's special offer cow brain Mum was feeding us.
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