Comments for New Jersey Society of Blood Bank Professionals

Comment on Why am I not allowed to donate blood? by David E

David E — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:56:36 +0000

It depends on where you lived and the cumulative time you were there. To simply quote the American Red Cross

Any person who lived in certain parts of the world during certian times are unable to donate due to the risk of the human variant of Mad Cow Disease. The human variant is called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or
From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK). The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

Channel Islands
England
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Isle of Man
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames

From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany
From 1980 through 1996 - Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.
You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including

in the UK from 1980 through 1996 as listed in above
on or associated with military bases as described above, and
in other countries in Europe as listed below:
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia/Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland (Republic of)
Italy
Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Netherlands (Holland)
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Yugoslavia (Federal Republic includes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia)

References :
http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,00.html#vcjd

Comment on Why am I not allowed to donate blood? by pbear i

pbear i — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:20:21 +0000

rules are rules
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Comment on Why am I not allowed to donate blood? by ?

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:20:17 +0000

obviously there is a problem with mad cow disease.
what’s not known is how long you can have the infection without symptoms.
somehow i’m guessing that you’d not want blood from someone from Swaziland.
in the same way, i’d prefer that your blood not be mixed in with that national blood supply.
i’ll be more than happy to grant that the comparison is not nearly fair.
but i hope you get the idea.

References :
http://www.avert.org/worlstatinfo.htm
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Comment on Donate blood..? by ballandchain2008

ballandchain2008 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:36:10 +0000

I have no idea about India, but in the United States you have to be 17, at least 110 pounds, and in good health. Try asking the Indian Red Cross
References :
http://www.indianredcross.org/

Comment on Donate blood..? by amanda l

amanda l — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:15:27 +0000

O- is the second most common blood group. It is called the universal donor because anyone from any blood group can receive O- blood.

You should check with your local blood bank. Here you have to wait until you're 18.

You have a very socially aware attitute that is wonderful. Hang onto your blood while you are still growing. You need it at the moment.
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Comment on Donate blood..? by Alicja

Alicja — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:52:10 +0000

I'm not sure about what the laws and regulations in India, but in Canada you have to be at least 17, and of a certain height and weight to donate blood. You should call your local clinic to find out specific information, and they'll let you know whether you can or can't.
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Comment on Why can't I donate blood if I've lived on a military base during certain years? by Julie M

Julie M — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:51:38 +0000

it's not that you were on a military base- it's that you were in Europe during the madcow scare. if you lived there long enough, you are ineligible to donate for the rest of your life.
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Comment on Why can't I donate blood if I've lived on a military base during certain years? by rick j

rick j — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:13:28 +0000

You might have a diseases that the military didn't tell you about.
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Comment on Why can't I donate blood if I've lived on a military base during certain years? by markredwing

markredwing — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:12:47 +0000

AID'S
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Comment on Why can't I donate blood if I've lived on a military base during certain years? by Lauren B

Lauren B — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:11:55 +0000

because of the people you may have come in contact with during that time
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