I'm a 41 year old white male in good shape. I give blood regularly at Carter Blood Care in Dallas, Texas.
About 3 weeks ago, I visited family members in Louisiana and had a chance to give blood at a donation center.
Today, I received a letter stating they were unable to accept my blood because, "Donor Information/High risk for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).
Since then, I have read many articles on the subject and have not shown any of the symptom described. I have left a message with my doctor to do an immediate blood work.
My questions are: Am I taking the appropriate first step? How reliable are these type of results from blood donation centers? What should I tell my doctor? What should be my next step?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ken S.