Now I know...
Guess who wasn't allowed to donate blood today...
Malaria is a blood infection caused by a parasite that can be transmitted from a donor to a patient through transfusion. It is possible to have a new infection with malaria but have no symptoms, even though the parasite is present in your blood. It is also possible to feel well, but have a very mild case of malaria, especially if you have lived for extended periods of time in parts of the world where malaria is found....
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.
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Ethiopia is on the list. I can not donate blood for 12 months from our return to the US. Bummer! Anyone want to volunteer to donate blood for me until I can?
Referral Picture 6/21/07
2 comments:
oh, that is a bummer! I'm on that no-can-donate list too, as I had a blood issue years ago. It sucks because I used to donate regularly, and now I can't. I'm still on the bone marrow list, though. :-)
I wondered about that when I saw your post about giving blood. I got the "I tried" sticker one year because I had just gotten a tattoo!
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