BLOOD DONATION 2
Welcome back, Life Savers!
WHO IS A BLOOD DONOR?
A Blood donor is a person who goes through or has undergone a blood donation procedure that can help save lives, a blood donor is a superhero/heroine. Blood donors are lifesavers, a large number of blood donors, donate voluntarily and it is highly commendable.
HOW TO BECOME A BLOOD DONOR
There are no laydown procedures as it is not a job interview (on a lighter note). You just have to walk up to the next hospital close to your location and ask for directions to the hematology department, the blood bank, or the laboratory. Inform them of your willingness to be a voluntary blood donor.
You can as well join a blood donation drive in your environment (Stay tuned for more updates).
BLOOD DONATION ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Age:
You are aged between 18 and 65.
* In some countries national legislation permits 16–17 year-olds to donate provided that they fulfill the physical and hematological criteria required and that appropriate consent is obtained.
* In some countries, regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit in some countries is 60.
Weight:
You weigh at least 50 kg.
* In some countries, donors of whole blood donations should weigh at least 45 kg to donate 350 ml ± 10%.
Health:
You must be in good health at the time you donate.
You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug, or any other infection.
If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure. If the body piercing was performed by a registered health professional and any inflammation has settled completely, you can donate blood after 12 hours.
If you have visited the dentist for a minor procedure you must wait 24 hours before donating; for major work wait a month.
You must not donate blood If you do not meet the minimum hemoglobin level for blood donation
* A test will be administered at the donation site. In many countries, a hemoglobin level of not less than 12.0 g/dl for females and not less than 13.0 g/dl for males is the threshold.
Travel:
Travel to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic, e.g. malaria, dengue, and Zika virus infections, may result in a temporary deferral.
Many countries also implemented the policy to defer blood donors with a history of travel or residence for defined cumulative exposure periods in specified countries or areas, as a measure to reduce the risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) by blood transfusion.
Behaviors:
You must not give blood:
If you engaged in “at risk” sexual activity in the past 12 months
Individuals with the behaviors below will be deferred permanently:
Individuals with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
Persons who have ever injected recreational drugs?
* In the national blood donor selection guidelines, there are more behavior eligibility criteria. Criteria could be different in different countries.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding:
Following pregnancy, the deferral period should last as many months as the duration of the pregnancy.
It is not advisable to donate blood while breastfeeding. Following childbirth, the deferral period is at least 9 months (as for pregnancy) and until 3 months after your baby is significantly weaned (i.e. getting most of his/her nutrition from solids or bottle feeding).
More information on eligibility to donate:
National eligibility guidelines must be followed when people donate blood to the blood service in specific countries. To find out whether any health conditions, medications, professions, or travel history could affect your ability to give blood, please search for detailed information in the national/local blood services.
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