“Mad cow disease, also called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), is a fatal disease that slowly destroys the brain and spinal cord in cattle. People cannot get mad cow disease. However, in rare cases they can get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is also fatal. People who have spent a lot of time (at least 3 months) in places where mad cow disease has been found are not allowed to give blood in Canada or the United States. This is to help prevent vCJD from spreading. “

British Columbia Health LinkBC