I was listening to the American military radio here in Korea and they invited soldiers to donate blood with some exceptions:

  • if you’ve been shorter than 30 days in Korea
  • if you got a tatoo in the last 6 months
  • if you lived in Europe for more than 5 years

I really wonder what could have happened to someone who lived in Europe for more than 5 years which triggered this particular exception.

    • Papanca@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I am not allowed to give blood, because i once got a blood transfusion in the eighties and i have a tiny, tiny risk of infecting people with mad cow disease. I only found out when i decided to give blood some years back and found out i am not allowed to.

        • khannie@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Same. Weirdly they used to take my blood then decided that it wasn’t OK any more. Didn’t know that it was a change in policy because of mad cow.

      • Dandroid@dandroid.app
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        11 months ago

        I can’t donate blood because my grandma died from prions. I probably have a much, much higher chance of spreading it than you, and mine is still probably extremely low.

      • Nighed@sffa.community
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        11 months ago

        Mad cow disease can (sometimes/possibly) take decades to have an effect. If you are some infected meat and have the wrong genetics you could wind up with a sponge for a brain 30 years later.

        Prions are terrifying.