We received an urgent request from the library about donating blood for a sick child. We dutifly went to Clinic Merida to what we could. Here is a list of rules that apply before one can donate blood.

 

Giving Blood

 

In order to donate blood certain criteria must be met

 

ยท       You must present official identification

 

ยท       You must be less than 60 years old

 

ยท       You need to be taller than 1.55 meters or 5 feet 1 inch

 

ยท       You must not  weigh less than 60 Kgs or 132 pounds

 

ยท       You cannot be menstruating, pregnant or lactating

 

ยท       You cannot have had an abortion within the previous 6 months

 

ยท       You cannot have had any alcoholic beverages or medicines in the past 48 hours

 

ยท         You need to have fasted for 12 hours previous to giving blood

 

ยท       You cannot have had any reparatory or gastrointestinal infections within the previous 2 weeks

 

ยท       You cannot have had any vaccinations in the last 2 month

 

ยท       If you have had or have any of the following you cannot give blood:

 

Syphilis, Hepatitis B or C, HIV, Malaria, Chagas, Brucella

 

 

What about hepatitis vaccinations?  Seems I heard somewhere that that kicks you out as well.

ALl my life I've heard how important it is to donate blood!  Yet the rules I've bounced up against have been so ridiculous, from the CDC and Red Cross, and now, once I go to Merida, that I've rarely been able to give blood.  (The Israeli authorities, on the other hand, have always been happy to have my red struff when I've shown up at their mobile donation center in downtown Jerusalem!)

When and after I served in Oman (with US Govt.), I was barred because of the fear of mad cow disease owing to a few suspected cows that came into north Oman, or some such reason.  (No one wanted to hear that I didn't eat any meat in Oman (except for the Kosher salami my son brought in once!).) Then later I was barred because of malaria in Oman, until the powers that be realized that Oman had no malaria except in several areas just about no one could get to.  There were other specious grounds in prior decades that had no basis in my life but which I will not mention for fear I could be barred again in the U.S. for those non-reasons.

Most recently, the Washington Hospital Center in D.C. barred me because a technician believed the Yucatan was a malaria zone when she could not access the CDC online database. Eventually, long after I left, she got to the CDC and discovered that her belief was off the wall.

Now, as a hearty 66 year old, the Clinica de Merida would not want my blood?  When's the next plane to Jerusalem!?

Seeds. You would have to check with the various hospitals. I only posted the sheet we got from Cinica Merida that we translated for this board. Any further questions should be taken directly to the source.