Upcoming changes to ‘mad cow’ (vCJD) blood donation criteria restriction

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is delighted to announce that Medsafe has approved our submission recommending the removal of the restriction that prevents those who lived in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and France between 1980 and 1996 for a period of six months or more from donating blood or plasma in New Zealand.

NZBS is now getting ready to support the change in criteria by updating our systems and processes and preparing our teams to implement this change.

Those currently impacted by this restriction will not be able to book appointments or donate until this work has been completed.

Because of this, we’re inviting those we know who are impacted by this restriction to register their interest online to give blood or plasma so we can let them know when they can book.