Living in a place v. traveling to a place.

In My Humble Opinion
1

There was a blood drive going on at the community college where I’m taking a class recently, and I wanted to go (I’m type O+) until I remembered that I’ve been in a malarial zone within the last six months, which I was pretty sure was a no-no.

I just checked the Red Cross’ website, and it turns out that the rule is no donating for six months after traveling to a malarial zone, and no donating for three years after living in a malarial zone.

What do you guys think counts as “living” in a place? My quandary is that I spent two and a half months doing an internship in India last summer. Do you think that two and a half months counts as living somewhere? I don’t want to go two more freaking years before I can donate blood!

2

That’s a really good question. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer, but I’d like to know, too.
My wild assed guess is going to be 3+ months of being in the same place is ‘living’ as opposed to ‘visiting’, but really, I dont know how that can be judged. Can live six months in the airport, or two weeks inland; which is more likely to get one ‘contaminated’ by local parasites?

3

6 months. The British Guidleines are more explanatory, but bear in mind the UK is short of blood and we may be more lax than where you are, but apparently we offer malaria antibody testing.

“Donors who have EVER been resident in a malarial endemic area for 6 months or more:
If at least six months has passed since the date of the last potential exposure to malaria, and a validated test for malaria antibody is negative, accept.”

4

The last part of that sentence doesn’t agree with the American Red Cross’ guidelines already, so I’m not sure how seriously I should take that. I’ll call them tomorrow, but I’m not really confident that they people who man the phones will have a good answer.

5

I’m curious to see what they tell you, or whether they can tell you anything definitive at all over the phone. I’ve also got a medical issue that, depending on who you ask, is either a three-year or a permanent deferral, but didn’t have any luck getting solid answers over the phone. I finally decided that since donating blood makes me sick for several days afterward anyway, I was just going to give up, but good for you for sticking it out.

6

Curious, assuming your 2 1/2 month internship qualifies as “living”, why do you have such a desire to donate something that they don’t want?

Sure they need blood and everything, but there’s a reason for the guidelines.

7

Sure there is: liability and plausible deniability.

8

I know that I have a similar question, so I just went ahead and donated. While taking my history, since there was the possibility of denial due to travel, they took out the big book of detailed traveling deferrals. Because of the cities I stayed, I was able to donate.

I know it is a bit more effort, but try to go donate. They’ll make sure you can be approved or not before they stick you!

9

Of course, but I don’t have malaria, so it would be annoying to have to wait for so long for what seems to me to be a pointless reason. I consider it my obligation as someone with a useful blood type to donate when possible.

Anyway, I tried calling them, but their phone system was wonky; it kept sending me back to the main menu whenever I made my selection on their phone tree.

I will give it a shot in September, when it will have been six months since I was last in a malarial zone. Unless I get a job (hire me please, someone) that sends me to another malarial zone in the interim, of course.