Blood Donation

Please visit Vibrant Blood 2008


Basic Requirements for Blood Donation
Basic Requirements

* Weight: At least 45 kg (100 Ibs) for both males and females
* Well Being: Feeling well that day. Not having colds, coughs or flu in the last one week. No fever (Temperature >37.5°C) in the last 3 weeks.

Major Illness/Surgery

Persons with the following conditions are not eligible for blood donation:

* Diseases of the heart or lungs (Donors who are asthmatic and without symptoms of asthma is eligible)
* High blood pressure on medication
* Diabetes on medication
* Major surgery (can donate after 12 months)
* AIDS or symptoms of AIDS, such as unexplained fevers, severe night sweats, unexpected weight loss, swollen glands, chronic diarrhoea or rare cancer
* Epilepsy
* Hepatitis B or C
* Syphilis

Some Common Reasons For Temporary Deferral

* Cold, flu or sore throat, please wait one week after recovery or treatment
* Tooth extraction or dental work, please wait 3 days after treatment
* Skin infections (minor), wait 1 week after complete healing
* Normal pregnancy, please wait 6 weeks after delivery and when you are not breast-feeding.
* Travelled to a malaria endemic area such as rural areas in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, etc, please wait 6 weeks to 3 years and ask the attending doctor/nurse whether you are eligible for donation
* Close contact with Hepatitis B, wait 12 months and after full course of hepatitis B vaccination (and shown a satisfactory antibody response)
* Infectious Diseases e.g. Chickenpox, Measles, Dengue, wait 6 months after recovery

Medication

People who are taking drugs for cancer treatment, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes or current infections will not be accepted as blood donors.

For those taking:
Traditional Medication Please wait 3 days
Antibiotics Please wait 1 week
Anti-malaria Medication Please wait 4 weeks

For our criteria for vaccination, please visit our website http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/00000000000000001423.html
Travel to Europe

With effect from 1 July 2002, you will be ineligible to donate blood indefinitely if you fall into EITHER one of the following 2 groups:

1. You have visited or lived in the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Island) from 1980 through 1996 for a cumulative period of 3 months or more, or you have received a transfusion of blood or blood components in the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Island) between 1980 till now.
2. You have visited or lived in France from 1980 till now for a cumulative period of 5 years or more.

However, if you have stayed in Europe (besides United Kingdom and France) for a cumulative period of more than 5 years, you can donate plasma only through apheresis method.
Tattoo, Ear Piercing or Acupuncture

This would require a deferment period of 12 months, unless the needles used are disposable and the whole procedure is sterile.

The above criteria cover some common situations that will render a prospective donor unsuitable for blood donation. The doctor or nurse will exercise medical judgment during the medical interview for each individual donor.

Donors who are interested in donating blood will have to bring along their NRIC or donation card for registration. Non-Singaporeans will have to produce their passports.
Note regarding Endogenous Human Clinical vCJD

CTM-HSA has adopted the policy of excluding donors from the United Kingdom (UK) and most European countries due to the incidence of endogenous human clinical vCJD (“Mad Cow Disease”) infections and outbreaks of vCJD in their cattle industry. Donors who have resided in UK for a cumulative period of 3 months or more from 1980 to 1996 are currently restricted from blood donation because of a small risk of possible vCJD infection. Donors who have resided for 5 years or more in France are also under similar restrictions.

Donors who have stayed in other European countries (excluding France and UK) for 5 years or more can still donate blood but are advised to donate only plasma via apheresis technology.

The guidelines of the Bloodbank@HSA are in harmony with international practice. This restriction is an international precautionary measure enforced by all blood banks of developed countries. They are solely a purely precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the local blood supply.

I am pleased to inform you that we have produced a poster to inform donors about some common criteria that make them not suitable to donate blood.

Unfortunately only the common, basic information on donation can be disseminated through these means. There is a limitation on the type and amount of information on donation criteria that we can disseminate in this way. There are numerous situations and scenarios that would make one unsuitable to donate blood. Therefore we have provided detailed information on our blood donation criteria at our Donor-care web site at http://www.hsa.gov.sg/html/consumer/donorcare.html. A copy of the pre-donation health questionnaire (with full explanatory notes) and the various blood donation criteria is available on this web site for easy reference at your convenience.

In addition, you can also call Bloodbank@HSA directly at 6213 0626 or contact the Donor Managers of the Singapore Red Cross Society at 6220 0183 if you have any queries on blood donation.

Shirley Ng

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Blood Donation Process

Registeration



Register with official documents
(NRIC/Passports/Student EZ Link Card)

Complete the medical questionnaire
(www.hsa.gov.sg/donorcare)

Medical interview



Review medical and social history

Medical checkup
(Measurement of blood pressure, temperature and weight)



Before Donation



Before donation, Hb screening is necessary
(Hb for male and female is 12.5mg/dl)



During Donation



The following methods will be taken to ensure your comfort and safety:

* Arm cleaned
* Painkiller administered before insertion of needle
* Donors are monitored during donation
* All needleds used are cleaned, sterile and disposed after each use
* Post donation advice are provided



Post donation



Refreshment & Rest

* Rest for at least 10 minutes
* Drink sufficient fluids and take the refreshments provided
* Check the arm to ensure that there is no bleeding before leaving the donation site
* If feeling faint, alert the nurse/doctor immediately

Blood Donor Recruitment Programme
Singapore Red Cross Society