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GREENBRIER COUNTY WV | ![]() |
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| Your online connection to Greenbrier County government | |||||||||
| HOME : DEPARTMENTS : COMMISSIONERS : BOARD : DEPT : LINKS : APPLICATION : CALENDAR : VACANCIES | |||||||||
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BLOOD DONATION ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINESNote to users: This list is not complete. Medical professionals are available at each blood collection center and details of each donor's health and activities are discussed in a confidential setting prior to blood donation. The final determination of eligibility is made at that time. Some donor eligibility rules are specified by the Food and Drug Administration for every blood bank in the country. Other rules are determined by the particular blood bank and may differ between programs. Donor eligibility rules are intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion. The criteria listed below are provided as guidelines to assist you in determining whether you may be eligible to be a blood donor. The guidelines listed below were last revised on 5/24/07. There may have been some changes to these criteria since the last revision date. The most up to date eligibility information can be obtained by contacting the American Red Cross blood center nearest you. GENERAL GUIDELINES To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days) or a donation of double red cells in the last 16 weeks (112 days). "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control. Other aspects of each potential donor's health history are discussed as part of the donation process before any blood is collected. Each donor receives a brief examination during which temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood count (hemoglobin or hematocrit) are measured. |
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To contact us: 200 Court Street North |
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Making donations for your own use during surgery (autologous blood donation) is considered a medical procedure and the rules for eligibility are less strict than for regular volunteer donations. Top |
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Acupuncture Age |
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Allergy, Stuffy Nose, Itchy Eyes, Dry Cough Antibiotics Acceptable after finishing oral antibiotics for an infection (bacterial or viral). Acceptable 7 days after an antibiotic injection for an infection. Acceptable if you are taking antibiotics to prevent an infection, for example, following dental procedures or for acne. Antibiotics for acne do not disqualify you from donating. If you have a temperature above 99.5 F, you may not donate. Aspirin Asthma Birth Control Blood Pressure, High Blood Pressure, Low |
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Blood Transfusion You may not donate if you received a blood transfusion since 1980 in the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar or Falkland Islands). This requirement is related to concerns about variant CJD, or 'mad cow' disease. You may not donate if you received a blood transfusion in certain countries in Africa since 1977. This requirement is related to concerns about rare strains of HIV that are not consistently detected by all current test methods. |
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Cancer Precancerous conditions of the uterine cervix do not disqualify you from donation if the abnormality has been treated successfully. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation.
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Chronic Illnesses Bleeding Condition Cold, Flu |
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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) |
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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Variant (vCJD); "Mad Cow Disease" Dental Procedures and Oral Surgery Insulin Donation Intervals |
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Heart Disease Heart Murmur, Heart Valve Disorder |
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Hemochromatosis (Hereditary) Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Blood Count Hepatitis, Jaundice Hepatitis Exposure HIV, AIDS You are at risk for getting infected if you:
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Hypertension, High Blood Pressure Immunization, Vaccination
Infections Wait until finished taking antibiotics for an infection (bacterial or viral). Wait until 7 days after an antibiotic injection for an infection. Those who have had infections with Chagas Disease or babesiosis are not eligible to donate. See also Antibiotics, Hepatitis, HIV, Syphilis/Gonorrhea, and Tuberculosis. Intravenous Drug Use Malaria Medications Over-the-counter oral homeopathic medications, herbal remedies, and nutritional supplements are acceptable. There are a handful of drugs that are of special significance in blood donation. Persons on these drugs have waiting periods following their last dose before they can donate blood:
Organ/Tissue Transplants If you ever received a dura mater (brain covering) transplant, you are not eligible to donate. This requirement is related to concerns about the brain disease, Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD). Piercing (ears, body), Electrolysis Wait 12 months if there is any question whether or not the instruments used were sterile and free of blood contamination. This requirement is related to concerns about hepatitis. Pregnancy, Nursing Sexually Transmitted Disease Acceptable if it has been more than 12 months since you completed treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea. Chlamydia, venereal warts (human papilloma virus), or genital herpes are not a cause for deferral if you are feeling healthy and well and meet all other eligibility requirements. Sickle Cell Skin Disease, Rash, Acne Syphilis/Gonorrhea Tattoo Acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. Only a few states currently regulate tattoo facilities, so most donors with tattoos must wait 12 months after tattoo application before donating blood. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation. Tuberculosis Travel Outside of U.S., Immigration Venereal Diseases Chlamydia, venereal warts (human papilloma virus), or genital herpes are not a cause for deferral if you are feeling healthy and well and meet all other eligibility requirements. Weight Last updated: 5/24/07 In-Depth Discussion of Age and Blood Donation Persons under the age of 17 may, however, donate blood for their own use, in advance of scheduled surgery or in situations where their blood has special medical value for a particular patient such as a family member. In-Depth Discussion of Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease and Blood Donation There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found. At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows: You are not eligible to donate if: From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or
You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames
You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including
In-Depth Discussion of HIV Group O and Blood Donation There is a rare form of HIV called Type O that is found in western Africa. The available tests for HIV do not always detect the Type O strain. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep this virus out of the blood supply by not taking blood donations from those who have been where the virus is found. Persons who were born in or lived in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria since 1977 cannot be blood donors. The Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for supervising the safety of the American blood supply, put this requirement in place in 1996. The requirement applies to all blood donation programs, including that of the American Red Cross. The list of countries with HIV Type O risk is based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where experts monitor infections worldwide. It is possible that the tests used to screen donated blood may someday be improved so that they detect Type O HIV. If so, these donation restrictions may be removed. In-Depth Discussion of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD) and Blood Donation CJD appears to be an infectious disease. It has been transmitted from infected humans to patients through the transplantation of the covering of the brain (dura mater), use of contaminated brain electrodes, and injection of growth hormones derived from human pituitary glands. Rarely, CJD is associated with an hereditary predisposition; that is, it occurs in biologic or “blood” relatives ( persons in the same genetic family). There is no evidence that CJD can be transmitted from donors to patients through blood transfusions. However, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen. There is no test for CJD that could be used to screen blood donors. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep CJD out of the blood supply by not taking blood donations from those who might have acquired this infection. You are considered to be at higher risk of carrying CJD if you - Received a dura mater (brain covering) graft; If any of these descriptions apply to you, you should not donate blood until more is known about CJD and the risk to the blood supply. In-Depth Discussion of Hepatitis and Blood Donation Hepatitis caused by Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus can be easily transmitted from donors to patients through transfusion. It is possible for a donor to carry a hepatitis virus even though he has never been sick with an inflamed liver, and he feels entirely well at the time of donation. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are transmitted between people through sexual contact and blood-to-blood contact, such as occurs when needles are shared during IV drug use. Hepatitis viruses can also be transmitted from mothers to their unborn babies. However, many people who have hepatitis virus infection cannot determine how they became infected. There is a vaccine for the hepatitis B virus. All blood donations are tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C with several different tests. But because these tests are not perfect, it is still important for people who may be infected with hepatitis viruses to not donate blood. In some cases, all that is required is a waiting period after some particular event, such as an exposure to a patient with hepatitis, to be sure the person was not infected. In other cases, the likelihood of hepatitis is high enough that the person is not eligible to donate regardless of how much time has gone by. In-Depth Discussion of Malaria and Blood Donation The Centers for Disease Control and Protection keep track of the locations with malaria for international travelers from the United States, and this information is available on their web site at http://www.cdc.gov. There is risk of malaria in some parts of Mexico. In the Caribbean, malaria is found only in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The countries that have NO malaria risk in any area are as follows, listed alphabetically: Albania, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Boznia/Herzegovina, British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Diego Garcia Islands, Dominica, Easter Island, England, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Northern and Republic of), Israel, Italy, , Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, , Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Nauru, Netherlands, Netherland Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Pacific Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad/Tobago, Tunisia, Turks/Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, , Virgin Islands, Wake Island, and Yugoslavia. Blood donations are not tested for malaria. Therefore, it is important that people who may have malaria or been exposed to malaria because of living in, or traveling to, a country where malaria is present not be allowed to donate blood until enough time has passed to be certain that they are not infected with malaria. This is done by having a waiting period for those who lived in, move from, or traveled to, the locations with malaria. If you have traveled outside of the United States, your travel destinations will be reviewed to see if you were in a malaria-risk area. It would be most helpful if you came prepared to report the country and city or destinations to which you traveled, as well as the travel dates. |
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