In Australia we can't donate blood if we lived in the UK for 6 months or more between 1st January 1980 and 31st December 1996 or if we had a blood transfusion in the UK any time since 1st January 1980.

There is no screening test yet developed so they have to do this.

http://www.donateblood.com.au/faq/el...-blood#mad-cow
Mad Cow - Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
Red Cross Blood Service Au