Want to donate? Donate blood!

As something of a side-effect of the Mumbai attacks, there were calls for blood donations there. Reporting on this I made a mention such calls may be spurious, and just cause people to walk in medical personnel's way with their good but unneeded intentions.

A good member on the ground then reported there isn't much of a tradition in India to donate blood anyway, so there is in fact a chronic shortage of it under any circumstances.

Leading me to think, and in view of the many among us who would like to contribute something on our travels there, giving a blood donation in any town would be a very simple thing to do, that costs you precisely nothing.

It would probably be wise to discuss this with your doctor or tropical health clinic before leaving, as well as with your hospital of donation on the ground, in terms of how often can this be done, to what extent does it weaken you, also with a view to travelers' vulnerability to some other afflictions you may run up while on the road, etc. Should one take it easy for a day or two after the donation, eat well, whatever. (How long can that blood be kept for anyway? I honestly don't know.)

If people can deny or dismiss or alter the above report, let them please do so. It would otherwise seem a very simple and practical (and by definition non-partisan) contribution.

A very good point and far more useful than most donations..

I wouldn't mind donating. Most hospitals in Sweden won't accept 60+ donors, and I'm 65. I used to donate fairly regularily, and felt great afterwards, but from ca. 60, "exotic" travelling and various medication have closed the doors. I wil certainly look into Indian rules next time I go there.

I'd definitely do that if I could, but I've been asked (kindly) not to go back to the UK's blood donation service, they have tried and failed three times now to get a donation from me. Apparently my veins aren't big enough.

I told them to try an artery but they didn't too seem keen for some reason!

It's a great idea, thanks for suggesting it Mach. If every member on here who is in India for more than a week or two gave blood it would definitely help.

I've been thinking about doing this. I'll be on an antimalarial (Malarone, I think). Do we suppose this affects whether my blood is usable or not?

I can't say for sure... but I suspect it may mean you are not eligible to donate. I know that I can't donate because of long term drugs I am on. In the US you can't donate... (this quote from the Red Cross site)

Malaria
Wait 3 years after completing treatment for malaria. Wait 12 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found. Wait 3 years after living in a country or countries where malaria is found.
http://www.redcross.org/services/bio...0_557_,00.html

So that probably means most foreigners coming to India on medication cannot donate here... OR back home for another 3 years. Something to be aware of. Even if the rules are not as strict in India as the US... for the sake of a clean blood supply perhaps it's best not to. I don't know what kind of blood screening they do here. Perhaps I am being overly cautious?

Hmm... ok... I think I read that wrong..."treatment" is not the same as anti-malarial drugs.. doh!

That's an intriguing thought, but I will have to do a little research. Currently, I can't donate in the UK because of time spent in the US (West Nile Virus ) and I can't donate in the US because of time spent in the UK (mad cow disease.) I wonder if the rules in India are that stringent.

Maybe it's not the same, but I wonder how eligible the difference really is. My first activity once in Mumbai, after securing accomodations, is to pay respects to the six attack sites. Perhaps after that I will call around and ask about blood donation.

By the way jude, your ongoing posting of local news here on IM during the attacks was my first source of information for that. I cannot stress how much I did and do appreciate your selfless efforts. Thank you again.

found some basic info on the topic..

Who can donate?
Aged between 18 and 60 years
If you have not already given blood in last 16 weeks
If you are not Pregnant or a women with baby less than 9 months old
If you have not had Hepatitis / Jaundice in the last 12 months
If you are not HIV positive
If you have not taken Live Vaccines for Polio, Typhoid, Measles, Rubella, Mumps with in last 21 days from the date of vaccination

Did you know?
The average adult has 10 to 12 pints of blood in their body.
The donated blood is replaced into the system from the reserves over a period of 4-5 hrs
Your one donation can save up to three lives!
Every 3 3/4 seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion. That's 16 people every minute; 960 every hour;23,040 every day; or 8,409,600 every year.
No viable substitute for blood has ever been found, so when you need it, the only place to get it is from another human being.
Any day, these facts could mean the difference between life and death.
The average life of a blood cell is 90 days so new blood is put into the system regularly.

More here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_donation

my co is organising a blood donation camp tomm.. 12th Dec.

if anybody is interested.. pls let me know.. i can guide you to the nearest location...

... wow.. thanks so much Shawn. I did nothing.. truly.

I was down in Colaba a couple of days ago. First time after it all. We drove past the Trident and Oberoi... it was shocking and upsetting. I will be back there in a few days and plan to take some photos and do a post for people to see. The good thing was to see how life is back to normal.. by and large.. but it was sobering and surreal to be there. Still... this is

Thanks Jay_J for the info. Looks like other vaccinations are a problem too. I can't remember now what shots I had before coming to India... they seem to change over the years depending on the risks. But that's something to keep in mind too.

Here's some good info from an Indian site (says its info is from the Indian Red Cross):

Who should not donate blood?

The following categories of people should avoid giving blood:

1. Pregnant or lactating women, or those who have recently had an abortion.
2. Persons who are on steroids, hormonal supplements or certain specified medication
3. Persons with multiple sexual partners or those who are addicted to drugs
4. Persons who have had an attack of infection like jaundice, rubella, typhoid or malaria.
5. Persons who have undergone surgery in the previous six months.
6. Persons who have consumed alcohol in the 24 hours prior to donation
7. Women should avoid donation during their menstruating period.
8. Those who have undergone various vaccinations should avoid donation for the corresponding period specified below:

Type of Vaccine The period in which donation should be avoided.
Hepatitis B 6 months
Live vaccines 2 weeks
Killed vaccines 48 Hours
Rabies 1 year
9. Persons with any systemic disease like heart disease, kidney disease, liver problems, blood disorders or asthma should NOT donate blood.
10. Persons suffering from infections transmitted through transfusions like HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis etc should Not donate blood.

http://www.webhealthcentre.com/Blood...bank_about.asp

Huh. I was just reading in Culture Shock! India about rituals of impurity and the stigmatization of women's menstrual cycle. I wonder if this impacts #7 or if it's actually grounded in science, rather than superstition.