Name:   MAJ USA RET - Subject:   Blood Shortage! OMG Blood Shortage! Date:   1/30/2011 7:01:02 PM

I see that the American Red Cross blood supply is low. IT IS THE FALT OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS!

They are turning donors away.  Their restrictions include ALL military personnel AND families who served in Europe in the mid eighties. It seems they are afraid of Mad Cow disease (JKV or Jakob Creuzfeld variant).

This is a “lawyer” thing – NOT a restriction based on medical risk.  There has NEVER been a case of mad-cow disease attributed to a blood transfusion. It’s only “theoretically possible.” One has to eat the BRAINS or SPINAL CORD of an infected animal to be exposed (don’t confuse exposed with infected). Do YOU know anyone who eats brains and or spinal cords? The majority of cases are hereditary.

FOR TWENTY YEARS AFTER BEING STATIONED IN GERMANY I donated blood and platelets (plasmapheresis via continuous flow centrifugation). My donations number in the gallons and platets in dozens of units (since 1967).  Then suddenly one day, in the mid-2000s, I was rejected because of Germany. I would love to have a European tell me who is allowed to donate blood in Europe.

If your daughter, grandchild, loved one... were in a car accident and was dying from blood loss... would you be worried about me or my family carrying mad cow disease? I think not!

THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS MORE AFRAID OF LAWYERS THAN COMMITTED TO SERVING THE MEDICAL NEEDS OF TRAUMA VICTIMS AND CHILDREN WITH LEUKEMIA!