June 14 is observed as World Blood Donor Day to raise awareness for the need of safe blood and to thank blood donors for their gifts of donating blood. To donate blood, there are some basic eligibility criteria. Donors will be asked a series of questions about their health and medical history. A blood donation professional will then assess your eligibility and may ask you additional questions.
World Blood Donor Day 2023: Who can give blood
Most people can give blood if they are in good health however, there are some requirements that one needs to fulfill in order to become a safe blood donor. Below are some basic eligibility guidelines as recommended by World Health Organisation (WHO).
Age
The acceptable age for blood donation is between 18-60. Some countries do allow 16–17 year-olds to donate if they fulfil the physical and hematological criteria and if they have the required consent is obtained while in some regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician.
Weight
The acceptable weight for blood donation is minimum 50 kg. In some countries, the weight criteria of donors is at least 45 kg to donate.
350 ml ± 10%.
Health
To be eligible for donation, donors should be in a good health.
Blood donation is not permitted donors are experiencing symptoms such as a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug, or any other form of infection.
If donors have recently undergone a tattoo or body piercing procedure, a waiting period of 6 months from the date of the procedure is necessary before they can donate. However, if the body piercing was performed by a registered health professional and any inflammation has completely subsided, donors can donate blood after a minimum of 12 hours.
In the case of a dental visit involving a minor procedure, donors must wait for 24 hours before donating. For major dental work, it is advisable to wait for a month.
Additionally, it is important that donors meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation. A test will be conducted at the donation site to determine this. In many countries, the minimum threshold for females is a haemoglobin level not less than 12.0 g/dl, and for males, not less than 13.0 g/dl. If you donors do not meet these haemoglobin level requirements, they should refrain from donating blood.
Travel
Blood donations are deferred temporarily if the donor has recently travelled to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic, e.g. malaria, dengue and Zika virus infections. In order to minimise the potential transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) through blood transfusions, many countries have introduced a policy to defer individuals who have travelled or resided in certain countries or areas for specific cumulative exposure periods as a precautionary measure.
Behaviours
Donors cannot donate blood if they:
Have engaged in "at risk" sexual activity in the past 12 months
Individuals with a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus) will be deferred permanently and same goes with individuals who have injected recreational drugs.
The criteria of "behaviours" are customised with different parameters in different countries
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
After delivery of a child, it is important to refrain from donating blood for a certain period of time. Additionally, it is not advisable to donate blood while breastfeeding. Following childbirth, the deferral period should last for a minimum of 9 months (similar to the duration of pregnancy) and until 3 months after your baby has reached a significant stage of weaning, where they primarily receive their nutrition from solid food or bottle feeding.
🩸 It's #WorldBloodDonorDay 🩸
June 13, 2023
Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often.
Here's how you can #GiveBlood 🩸If you are eligible to donate blood, please check if you fit in all the eligibility criteria. Thank you for considering donating blood. Your donation is a gift that can help save lives. You can find a blood donation center near you or check online for any camps or you can visit a hospital.
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