Do Something Amazing- Give Blood

MrsE_2

noonesperfect wrote: »

Yes blood is always screened (don't ask me what for though!!) but the NBS also rely on donors filling in forms declaring their state of health etc. on which, needless to say,they must be scrupulously honest. If you're not sure whether you or your husband should give blood have a looky here

https://secure.blood.co.uk/c11_cant.asp

Thanks, its this one

You must NOT give blood if,
You have received blood or think you may have received blood during the course of any medical treatment or procedure anywhere in the world since 1st January 1980.

If you have had a transfusion (as he did in the late 80's) you can't give blood.
Still can't understand it, as they will screen it all anyway.

msmicawber

It's probably more difficult/expensive/time-consuming to screen the actual blood than to screen out the applicant in the first place or something. I'm more surprised that they refuse to take blood if you were born in India because it has malarial areas, than actually checking which areas are malarial and which aren't. It's a large chunk of the world's land mass to exclude.

MrsE_2

msmicawber wrote: »

It's probably more difficult/expensive/time-consuming to screen the actual blood than to screen out the applicant in the first place or something. I'm more surprised that they refuse to take blood if you were born in India because it has malarial areas, than actually checking which areas are malarial and which aren't. It's a large chunk of the world's land mass to exclude.

ARe you saying they screen the applicant with a load of questions & thats it

No, I'm sure they must test every pint of blood they get too :eek:

Please tell me they do, in case I ever need any.

noonesperfect

Yes they do screen the blood.

They first check to ensure you're not anaemic (finger-!!!!! test) and then they draw off (3, I think) samples before your donation is started properly.

MrsE_2

noonesperfect wrote: »

Yes they do screen the blood.

They first check to ensure you're not anaemic (finger-!!!!! test) and then they draw off (3, I think) samples before your donation is started properly.

THANK YOU:D

If they are testing it anyway (as they should:D ) then thats why I can't understand them not taking people who had transfusions blood?

noonesperfect

MrsE wrote: »

THANK YOU:D

If they are testing it anyway (as they should:D ) then thats why I can't understand them not taking people who had transfusions blood?

I've just checked my facts, apparently they do the finger-!!!!! check to ensure donating blood won't make you anaemic.

I don't know why they won't take blood from people who've had transfusions, maybe you could ring NBS, they might be able to explain. Perhaps it would be hideously expensive to do the extra tests needed .

MrsE_2

noonesperfect wrote: »

I've just checked my facts, apparently they do the finger-!!!!! check to ensure donating blood won't make you anaemic.

I don't know why they won't take blood from people who've had transfusions, maybe you could ring NBS, they might be able to explain. Perhaps it would be hideously expensive to do the extra tests needed .

Argh, so are you now saying they don't test all donated blood for aids & stuff
Thats awful
I always assumed they did


BTW, loving your avatar.

msmicawber

MrsE wrote: »

ARe you saying they screen the applicant with a load of questions & thats it

No, I'm sure they must test every pint of blood they get too :eek:

Please tell me they do, in case I ever need any.

I don't know what they actually do to test the blood. I know they run some tests since a dear friend only found out about their Hep C when they gave blood. My concern is that they are very wide-ranging in their refusals of offers of blood since they're ruling out a lot of potentially useful donors with those whose blood they can't use.

noonesperfect

No they do screen donated blood for all sorts, I just don't know what!

However I seem to think that somewhere in the rule book it says you shouldn't use the NBS to get an HIV check, so I suspect they do check for HIV, and as above says Hep C.

msmicawber

I also don't understand why they don't take blood from those who have had transfusions. Most blood isn't used whole anyway, as I understand it, but split into plasma and clotting factors and what not and used in the reduced form. I have never seen anything about not giving blood if you've received plasma only, so assume the problems lie with whole blood and clotting factors. If that's true, the presumably a lot more blood could be taken then the plasma extracted for use and the rest disposed of to some useful end - ? If there's a medical person about, it would be really interesting to know.