For more information, call: 1-888-2-DONATE or chat now.

You may now be eligible to donate blood, plasma or platelets if you...

• spent a cumulative total of five years or more in France and/or Republic of Ireland between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 2001, or received a transfusion in these countries,
  
  
• spent a cumulative total of three months or more in the United Kingdom (UK) between January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1996, or received a transfusion in the UK.

This change also aligns with the change we made in 2022, which changed the eligibility related to vCJD for those who have lived in Saudi Arabia and/or Western Europe.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), commonly referred to as the human variant of ‘mad cow’ disease, is a very rare, fatal disease that was discovered in the mid-90s after the ‘mad cow’ outbreak that affected cattle in the UK. Eating beef contaminated with ‘mad cow’ is the main cause of vCJD.

In the late 1990s, blood operators around the world changed donor eligibility criteria for those who lived or spent time in the UK, Republic of Ireland and France as a precautionary measure during the ‘mad cow’ outbreak. At the time, it was difficult to assess the extent of the outbreak, and the likelihood that the disease could be transmitted by blood, platelet or plasma transfusion.

For more information, call: 
1-888-2-DONATE or chat now.

Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands (Holland), Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.

Now even more of us experience what you get when you give.

Welcome! With a single act of giving, you can change someone’s life forever – and your own. We’ve updated our eligibility criteria and are excited to welcome more new donors to Canada’s Lifeline.

If you’ve lived or spent time in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland or France during the ‘mad cow disease’ outbreak of the 1980s and 1990s, you may now be eligible to donate blood, plasma and platelets in Canada.

Book your appointment and experience what you get when you give.

You can now book a life saving appointment.

Padma Ranjan made her first donation in Vancouver on December 5, 2023. She lived in the UK for 10 years, from 1976 to 1986, and until recently was ineligible to donate with Canada’s Lifeline.

This first donation holds a special place in Padma’s heart. Her husband, Jaya, became unwell a few years ago and was regularly in the hospital. He would feel nauseous, weak, lightheaded and have trouble walking.

The doctors soon discovered an underlying medical condition that was causing internal blood loss. For over a year he received weekly blood transfusions as treatment.

“I tried to donate for the first time over a year ago because I wanted to feel like I was supporting him, and to give back,” says Padma. “But I wasn’t able to because I had lived in the UK for a decade. When I heard the eligibility changed, I donated as soon as I could.”

Padma has already booked her next donation and looks forward to making this a regular tradition.

Padma is looking forward to being a regular blood donor now.

In 2022, Alicia Perera-Thomas and her husband Marvin Thomas were excited to be welcoming their third child Rashaun, into the world soon.

 Early in Alicia’s pregnancy, doctors told her that she had developed antibodies that could affect her baby’s health, which meant she would need to be closely monitored. During one of her appointments, Alicia learned she needed to deliver her baby right away — ahead of term.

 “Right then and there they said he needed to be delivered,” says Alicia. “A few days later he had a blood transfusion to increase his red blood cell count. A few weeks later he had a second transfusion.”

Alicia and Marvin are grateful that donors made the time to donate so that the blood their son needed was available during that critical time after his birth.

“For Rashaun’s birthday, we’ve got 27 people signed up to donate blood with us” says Marvin. “I’m especially excited because I’m from the UK, and now I can donate blood in Canada.” Because of changes to donor eligibility, people like Marvin, who were ineligible to donate until recently, can now help save lives.

The Thomas family is grateful to donors for saving their newborn baby’s life.

We’ve updated donor eligibility criteria related to the ‘mad cow’ disease outbreak.