There are probably more than a hundred reasons explaining why some people may never donate blood. Some people are afraid of needles while others faint at the sight of blood. Many people do not realize the shortage of blood supply or how they could help save a life. Some live in such a rural area that in order to donate blood they would have to travel a great distance. Some claim to not have the time, and nowadays many cannot spare the gas money.
There are also reasons unheard of. Reasons that many people would not normally think about. The forgotten ones who cannot give blood are put into the category of those who will not donate. There are many reasons a person could be disqualified as a blood donor, and millions of Americans are in this category.
Anyone with Hepatitis is disqualified as a blood donor. There are five different types of Hepatitis, including A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A often has no clear symptoms, and therefore often times goes unknown and unreported. There are approximately 32,000 new case of Hepatitis A in the United States each year. 1.4 people in the United States are infected with Hepatitis B, and 350 million people worldwide are infected. Hepatitis C affects 3 million Americans each year and 170 million people worldwide.
Individuals with HIV and AIDS are disqualified from donating blood as well. Recent studies suggest that at least 1.1 million of the United States population is infected with HIV or AIDS. The infection rate is even greater in many other countries.
Being in prison rules you out as a blood donor. There are more than 1.2 million people in prison in the United States.
Having certain types of cancers will also disqualify you from donating blood. Pregnant women, or those who recently gave birth, are not qualified blood donors. Physically small people also cannot donate.
Many people do not donate simply because they are afraid they will find out that they do have a disqualifying condition they did not know about. Health is a scary subject, and many are afraid of it.
Although, there are some conditions that do not disqualify a person from donating their blood. Certain cancers are not disqualifiers, as well as having high or low cholesterol will not disqualify you.
The fact of the matter is that while some try to donate, their blood cannot be used safely in a life-threatening situation. Others do not donate because they think that a condition rules them out as a donor, when it really does not.
The best way to get more individuals to donate their blood and to help save lives is to inform them. People with diabetes often think they are ruled out as a donor automatically, while this is not true. The media and hospitals need to team up and get America educated about what does or does not disqualify them. If these companies took the initiative to make it known, we would see more successful donors, and less unusable donations.
You can contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross to find out if any condition you may have will disqualify you as a blood donor.
