Active Blood Club

While you're reading this, someone in India needs blood

Blood is needed every two seconds

About 1 in 5 people entering a hospital needs blood

Blood is always needed for treatment of accident victims, cancer patients, hemophiliacs and Heart and other major surgery patients

Blood cannot be manufactured or harvested

Our blood supply comes from caring donors like you. When you give blood, you give someone another laugh, another hug, another chance.

Care
Before Donating
	Get a good night’s sleep
	Have a good breakfast or lunch
	Drink extra water and fluids to replace the volume you will donate (avoid tea, coffee, or other beverages with caffeine)
	Eat iron-rich foods-meat, fish, poultry or liver, beans, iron-fortified cereals, raisins and prunes
	Avoid fatty foods, such as hamburgers, fries, or ice cream before donating. Tests for infections done on all donated blood can be affected by fatty materials -lipids-that appear in your blood for several hours after eating fatty foods. When this occurs and required testing cannot be performed, the blood may need to be discarded.
During the Donation
	Wear clothing with sleeves that can be raised above the elbow
	Show the staff any "good veins" that have been used successfully in the past to draw blood
	Relax
	Take the time to enjoy a snack and a drink in the refreshments area immediately after donation
After Donation
	Rehydrate by drinking plenty of fluids over the next 24-48 hours
	Avoid strenuous physical activity or heavy lifting for about five hours after donation
	If you feel light headed, lie down, preferably with feet elevated, until the feeling passes
	In rere cases when bleeding occurs after removing the bandage, apply pressure to the site and raise your arm for 3-5 minutes; if bleeding or bruising occurs under the skin, apply a cold pack to the area periodically during the first 24 hours
	If for any reason, something doesn't feel right, call abc
	Enjoy the good feeling that comes with knowing that you may have saved as many as three lives

Peripherals
----------------------- I. Temporary peripherals ----------------------
1. Minor Illness
2. Drugs/Medications
3. Dental Work
4. Low Hemoglobin Counts
5. Tattoos/Body Piercing
6. Diabetes
7. Pregnancy
8. HIV High Risk Activities
9. Exposure to Disease/Geographical Deferrals
10. Recent Major Surgery
11. Recent Vaccinations

1. Minor illness
Donors are required to feel well at the time of donation. A cold, flu or allergies may prevent someone from donating.

2. Drugs/Medications
Some medications, or the underlying cause for taking the medication may require a temporary deferral. If you are taking any drugs/medications and would like to give blood, please contact your local blood donor clinic for details.

Oral or intranasal use of street drugs/narcotics will result in a temporary deferral.

Taking certain medications may also temporarily defer someone from donating bone marrow. Donors are required to postpone donation for six months following the last dose of some medications.

3. Dental Work
For a cleaning or a filling, donors must wait until the day after treatment before donating blood. For an extraction, root canal or dental surgery, donors must wait 72 hours before donating blood - provided there is full recovery.

4. Low Hemoglobin Counts
Blood donors whose hemoglobin copper sulfate test falls below the standard of 12.5 g/dL will result in a temporary deferral.

5. Tattoos/Body Piercing
Donors must wait six months after having a tattoo or body piercing before donating blood or bone marrow. The reason for this temporary deferral is the increased risk of Hepatitis C and other infections associated with tattoos and piercing. Other similar procedures that may fall under this category include acupuncture and electrolysis.

6. Diabetes
If you have diabetes that is treated by diet or oral hypoglycemics, you may be eligible to donate blood. It is important to note that each donor is different, and the use of certain medications or other underlying conditions may be cause for deferral.

If your diabetes is treated with insulin, you are unable to donate blood. Please note that this information is subject to change. Final eligibility determination rests with the screening staff at the donor clinic.

7. Pregnancy
If you have had a pregnancy in the last six months you will be temporarily deferred from giving blood and/or bone marrow.

8. HIV High Risk Activities
Being the sexual partner of someone who has participated in high risk activities (other than the sexual partner of someone who has tested positive for HIV) will result in a temporary deferral.

9. Exposure to Disease/Geographical Deferrals
Exposure to diseases, such as malaria or hepatitis, may result in a temporary deferral. Please contact your local blood centre for further information.

10. Recent Major Surgery
If you have had surgery recently, please speak to your local blood centre regarding your eligibility.

11. Recent Vaccinations
Recent vaccinations may result in a temporary deferral. For example, there is a two-day deferral period after receiving a shot for influenza (the flu). Please note that this information is subject to change. Final eligibility determination rests with the screening staff at the donor clinic.

Deferral periods for common vaccinations.

------------------------ II. Common peripherals ------------------------
1. HIV High Risk Activities
2. Disease
3. Diabetes (Insulin Treated)
4. False Reactive (False Positive) Test Results

1. HIV High Risk Activities:
There are a number of high-risk activities for acquiring HIV/AIDS that can indefinitely defer people from giving blood. People who have taken money or drugs for sex, since 1977 cannot give blood.

All men who have had sex with another man, even once, since 1977 are indefinitely deferred. This is based on current scientific knowledge and statistical information that shows that men who have had sex with other men are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS infection than other people.

Intravenous use of illegal street drugs/narcotics also constitutes a HIV high risk activity and results in indefinite deferral.

2. Disease:
For the safety of the donor and for the safety of the patients who receive blood, donations are not taken from people with some medical conditions. For more specific information on disease related deferrals, please contact your local blood donor clinic.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you are unsure as to whether you are eligible to give blood or not, please contact your local blood donor clinic.

3. Diabetes:
If your diabetes is treated with insulin, you are unable to donate blood.

4. False Reactive (False Positive) Test Results:
Unfortunately, a test result of "false-reactive" or "false positive" is an indefinite deferral at this time. The tests we use to screen blood are highly sensitive and are designed to detect donations with even the smallest levels of infection. However, because the tests are so sensitive, in some cases they react non-specifically with proteins in people's blood and the result comes up "reactive" (positive).

When we then confirm the test using a different, more specific assay that has different sensitivity levels, it will not confirm positive, and that is what we refer to as a "false reactive" or "false positive".