Bad blood from those residing in France, Great Britain and Ireland in 1980-96

Transfusion consultant Jan Sablinski decided that all those who spent more than half a year in France, Great Britain and Ireland in the years 1980-1996 will not be able to donate blood after Feb. 1, 2001. 'Due to mad cow disease, there have been such harsh restrictions on producers that it has been virtually impossible to catch it since 1996,' said Sablinski. The ban will allow Polish plasma to be processed in foreign plants. 'We are waiting for other countries to enact this kind of prohibition. We have just gone one step ahead,' said Sablinski. (Gazeta Wyborcza, pp.1,8) M.M.