Giving Blood - Denied
 

How many of you have this issue? I tried to give blood yesterday, but as of my most recent trip hit the magic 5 years of living or total travel time outside of the US/Canada since 1980. I now have an automatic deferral unless some new test is created for the donated blood. I was just wondering if others have run across this.

I lived in the UK for one year in the 90's. Lifetime ban for me... I believe six months is the magic number for the UK.

Prior to the ban, I was donating pretty regularly.

Yup, as a Brit I am not allowed to give blood. The irony is even in the days prior to and during the BSE crisis, I didn't eat beef. It seems strange that, given there have also been cases of BSE in the US and Canada, this blanket ban still exists.

Starting in 1990 I have lived in Germany on and off for a total 10 years.

I have been unable to give blood in the States for quite time.

Yep same here, grew up and gave blood quite regularly in the UK but still banned for life in the US. (Also, never ate beef).

Aside from the UK it's 5 years cumulative in Europe.

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donatin...l-listing#arc5

My wife, an American, grew up on military bases in Europe. She can't give blood. I haven't tried in some time but I like to think I could give blood today.

As an American, sometimes I'm not allowed to give blood in the U.S. depending on what country I have recently visited (Central, South America, Africa) due to disease outbreaks. In my early years, I couldn't donate blood because my blood pressure was too low (wish that was the case today).

I haven't been able to give blood since 2002. Before that, I gave every three months. I really wish that I still could; but I hit the 5 years abroad time with my move to Spain that year.

I moved from India to US in 2010. The first time the blood donation bus showed up at my workplace, I wanted to donate blood, until I found out my colleague, who happens to be from Germany was denied. The reason given was Malaria (!). I guess I would stand no chance!

Not able to give blood either here in NZ having spent longer than 6 months in the UK. This will no doubt be common for a lot of people here in NZ.

I used to give blood in Texas but have been denied due to too much time out of the US including the UK and South Africa.

Lifetime ban for me as well because I lived in the UK during the 80's and 90's. I donated at least 3-4 times a year before the ban.

I keep hearing radio advertisements saying they have a shortage of O neg blood. Now I am not O neg, but it strikes me that the risk of not having enough blood is greater than the possible risk of a rare disease being transmitted? I know in an ideal world, it would be perfect, but even now, there are things that can be transmitted in the blood that cannot be detected (or rather, are not actively screened for) like parasites.

AFAIK, I am not barred from bone marrow donations, or organ donations (including living donations) Is that because the risk-reward levels change?

I'm not allowed either. Kind of sucks, I always want to do my part.

Here is a bizzare story. I am in the US Army. The Military Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany has a contingency plan to use "host nation" blood in the event they run out of blood shipped from the U.S.

Oddly, they will not use US military member's blood, because we live in Germany. But they will use blood collected from Germans who live in Germany