You can give blood
Anyone who is in good health and is between the age of 18 and 70 can donate blood. Previous to every donation the physical fitness of the donor will be examined by the use of a private and confidential interview about your health history. Also, you will have your hemoglobin, blood pressure and pulse checked. You weight and length will be taken into account, there it is an indicator for your total blood volume.
You cannot give blood if:
- you show any signs of risk behaviour (to discuss with the physician)
- your previous donation has been less than 2 months ago
- you are diabetic and treated with insulin
- you recently had a piercing, tattoo or had your ear pierced
- you recently went on holiday outside of Europe (there’s a risk for the West Nile Virus)
- you recently travelled to a malaria hotspot and/or you’ve taken medication to prevent malaria
- you are suffering from a heart- and vessel disease, a blood disease, a tumor disease, a kidney disease, a neurological condition or a nerve disease (epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,…)
- you recently had an infection, hepatitis A, a rubella infection, mononucleosis, an STD,…
- you had an ordinary upper airway infection. There’s a defer of 2 weeks after you’ve had a complete clinical recovery.
- you recently been operated on. After an arthroscopic surgery there’s a delay of 2 months.
- you recently had a miscarriage, gave birth or you’re still breastfeeding
- you had a blood transfusion in the last 4 months
- you had a tick bite in the last 3 months
- you have a new sexual partner
- you had a needle stick, cutting, splash or biting injury in the last 4 months
- you sniffed any drugs
Any doubts??
If you’re not sure whether you can be a blood donor, please come and take a look at the blood drive. The physician will go over the procedure with you and answer any questions you might have. Either way, you will receive a surprise package whether you choose to donate or not.
For further questions regarding AIDS and its risk hazard, you can email us at bloed@rodekruis.be or dial +3216.31.61. If you wish to take an AIDS test, please contact your general practitioner.
For all possible information concerning AIDS, you can browse www.sensoa.be
You can never give blood if:
- you have a blood disease: you’re heavily anemic, you have hemophilia or leukemia
- you are HIV positive, you are infected with Hep B, Hep C or you’re seropositive for syphilis
- you, as a man, had sex with one or more (man) men since 1977
- you ever injected drugs
- you (used to) practice prostitution
- you, as an immigrant after 1977, are of origin of a country where HTLV (Human T-lymfocyten Virus) is frequent (to discuss with the physician)
- you stayed over a period of 6 months in the UK between the ‘80s and ‘96s.
You can give blood, but only discussed with the physician if:
- you had a long-term stay (over a period of 6 months) in a Malaria/Chagas hotspot (Central and South America)
- you immigrated less than 5 years ago to Europe
- your sexual partner is HIV seropositive or has AIDS
- your sexual partner suffered from hepatitis B, C
- your sexual partner, as a man, ever had sex with one or more (man) men
- your sexual partner has ever injected himself with drugs
- your sexual partner suffers from hemophilia
- you are concerned about the risks of STDs and you want to know if you’re infected (if you want to taken an AIDS test, please contact your general practitioner)
- you don’t want to be acquainted with your test results if they deviate
- you had many sexual partners or you switch partners on a regular base
- your sexual partner is of origin of a country where HTLV (Human T-lymfocyten Virus) is frequent
When terminated one of these increased situations of risk, you are once again eligible as a donor (to be discussed with the physician)
What is to be understood by AIDS risk behavior?
During the blood drive you will receive a brochure with information on AIDS. For the safety of the blood the Red Cross wants everyone who shows any signs of AIDS risk behavior or who has been in contact with the AIDS virus, to abstain themselves from donating blood, plasma or platelets. This is of crucial interest because of the window period. (see below).
Due to the many campaigns to prevent AIDS and the responsibility of the donors Belgian blood is one of the safest in the world. The risk where with HIV infected blood becomes disposable by transfusion, is estimated at 1 blood bag per 2-3 million bags.
What is AIDS and how does it gets passed on?
AIDS is short for ‘Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome’. AIDS is a very serious and infectious disease which is caused by the HIV-virus (Human Immune-deficiency virus), also known as the AIDS-virus. This disease affects the immune system of the patient: an AIDS-patient is no longer capable of defending himselve against incoming germs. For now, there’s no vaccine or effective cure. The disease remains incurable.
An infection caused by the presence of the AIDS-virus establishes itself most commonly by unsafe sexual contact with an infected person or by contact with infected blood. The period between the infection and the outburst of the disease can take years. In this dormant period a person who is infected with the virus, but isn’t ill yet, can infect other healthy people.
Window period?
The window period is the time which runs between the moment of the actual infection with the AIDS-virus and the point in time where the antibodies are produced by the body and which is to determine with the use of a test. The length of this period is estimated at approximately 2 weeks, but there’s a possibility of it being lengtenth by 3 to 6 months.
After a recent infection it is possible that the markings in the blood can’t be detected yet. That’s why the Red Cross asks explicitly that anyone who shows any signs of AIDS risk behaviour or presumes to have been in contact with the AIDS-virus, should absolutely abstain from donating blood, plasma or platelets.
Blood safety form
Let’s say: a couple of friends are going together to a blood drive. While reading the brochure, one of them recognizes themselves in the criteria regarding the risk behavior. Because of peer pressure it’s possible that he doesn’t have the nerve to alarm the physician and decides to donate blood anyway. To anticipate such delicate situations, each donor gets in advance a blood safety form.
This form only mentions a number, identical to the number used on the blood bag. The donor writes down whether he shows any signs of risk behavior. Then the donor drops the blood safety form folded into the box which is intended for these forms. The blood bags which aren’t safe, are being removed later at the blood transfusion center.
Finally
If you should have any doubts after making a donation concerning the correctness by which you filled in the medical questionnaire, please contact your blood transfusion center as soon as possible. Then it’s possible to decide in time if your blood can be used or not. If you would rather do this anonymous, you can dial the number on the post donation card: 0800/77701.
The Red Cross wishes to thank everyone who takes their responsibility and doesn’t donate blood, plasma or platelets because of the hazard of risk behavior for AIDS. In this way, they contribute to the safety of the blood transfusion.
