Who can and can't give blood, as NHS calls for donations
Currently only 2% of the population – just under 800,000 people – supports the entire UK blood supply.
Since last year, the health service has been on "amber alert" – meaning supplies have dwindled to the point that it may impact patient treatment. Now, experts are warning that things have turned "critical" and are nearing "red alert" status.
Here, we take a look at the criteria for donating blood – as well as the most common blood types and how to sign up.
According to Give Blood, the general criteria for donating is:
That you are aged 17-65
You're generally fit and healthy
You weigh between 7 stone 12 lbs and 25 stone
You have suitable veins
You meet all donor eligibility
You cannot donate blood if:
You've got some heart conditions, such as heart palpitations, abnormal heartbeat – or if you've had a heart attack, stroke, a heart bypass or you were born with a congenital heart defect
You have tested positive for HIV
You've had an organ transplant
You have had most types of cancer
You have received blood, platelets, plasma or any other blood products after 1 January 1980
You carry hepatitis B or C
You've injected non-prescription drugs – including body-building and injectable tanning agents
You may be asked to wait to donate blood if:
You've given blood too recently – Providing you're otherwise eligible, men can give blood every 12 weeks and women can give blood every 16 weeks.
You are pregnant or you've had a baby in the past six months – You will not be permitted to give blood while pregnant. Nor can you donate blood if you had a blood transfusion during your pregnancy or delivery. If you are trying to conceive it is not recommended, as you'll require all iron stores if/when you do fall pregnant. Once you have passed the six-month post-delivery mark, you may be able to donate blood.
You've recently got a tattoo or a piercing – Although most tattoo and piercing parlours offer safe services, the introduction of a foreign object to the body still carries risk, and so to protect the recipient of the blood, donors must wait for four months after having a tattoo of piercing before they can give blood. This includes microblading or semi-permanent make-up, as well as acupuncture.
You feel ill at the time of donation – It's common for donors to feel faint or anxious before, during and after the procedure, but if you are feeling unwell you must flag ahead of time, as it is important that you do not carry any infection at the time of donating. In order to donate, you must be healed and recovered from an infection for at least 14 days prior.
You're undergoing medical assessment – Similarly, if you are undergoing medical tests and assessments, you may have to wait before you donate blood.
You travel to and from certain countries outside of the UK – You can check whether your travels impact your eligibility to give blood here.
You've had a new sexual partner in the past three months – Regardless of gender, if you've had anal sex with a new partner in the past three months, you might not be able to give blood. Similarly, if you finished taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in the last three months, you'll have to wait.
You've had sexual contact with a partner who is – HIV positive, HTLV positive, carries hepatitis B or C, syphilis positive, has injected non-prescribed drugs, has received money or drugs for sex. You will need to wait at least three months.
If you have any health conditions or you're on medication, you can check your eligibility at the NHS Give Blood website here.
O positive is the most common blood type, accounting for roughly 35% of donors. It's followed by blood type A positive, with around 30% of donors falling into this category. The rarest, meanwhile, is AB negative, with just 1% of donors falling into this category.
If you would like to sign up to donate blood or plasma, you can do so at the Give Blood website here. You can also call them on 0300 123 23 23.
The NHS site also outlines which donor centres have availability today – you can check here.
Some sites also welcome walk-ins. You can find your nearest centre here.
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