apparently can no longer donate plasma or platelets. This is going to be horrible on the 'industry' of donation. Heck....50% of donors are women, and a lot of them have been pregnant...and when you think of the people who have received blood that number gets even bigger. Heck I know 4 women just from my moms club that donate plasma on a regular basis that will have to stop.
http://www.kfyrtv.com/news_stories.asp?news=12445
While I certainly understand that cause of the rules etc it is just scary that blood products that are so needed and so hard to come by will become even more in demand because of the restrictions.
UPDATED:
It seems that these new 'rules' only effect blood banks and not places like BioLife (they are a local plasma donation center etc)... so hopefully the supply/demand will not be effected to much. I do understand the cause for concern re:the antibodies etc...I just hope that enough people who need these products can get them when needed. I mean I remember when I was going through my cancer treatment, them literally flying platelets in from TX and AZ because there were NO O negative platelets available locally or closer.
8 comments:
Wow, that is reall interesting! I never knew that women's blood changed during pregnancy. Are you a blood donor, Kristin? I have never given blood before. That is crazy that 80% of people will receive a blood transfusion sometime in their lives. I didn't know it was that high.
I myself am not a blood donor, as you have to wait so long after a previous transfusion and because of the complications that led to Shelby and Avery's early arrival I received 3 pints of blood and 4 'batches' of platelets. I hope to be able to once Brody is weaned.
Isn't it insane the number of people who would be 'eliminated' by these new 'restrictions'?
Yeah, it is. But I think they cannot be TOO safe concerning blood donations. The whole thing is kind of creepy when you think about it, and if I were to ever need a transfusion, I would be glad to know that they had VERY strict regulations.
Oh I agree completely!!!
Well this article came out at the end of Oct and I have been in since then to do plasma and they let me do it...???
Kate-
Someone else emailed me and said she talked to BioLife and apparently these new rules only effect actual blood banks, so they do not have the rules yet....
So I guess I could donate platelets, in theory, now that I can't donate blood. Or do they let you donate platelets if you've been to Africa?
Angela :-)
I really don't know... I'd look into it if I were you ...
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