Red Cross Rules on Travel & Giving Blood

Every day, in the United States alone, over 40,000 pints of blood are used by medical professionals in lifesaving procedures. The American Red Cross, the national branch of the worldwide health and human aide organization, provides around 45 percent of this much-needed resource. One of the main missions of the American Red Cross involves collecting blood from donors across the nation and supplying it to hospitals and other medical facilities. However, it is not enough to merely collect the donated blood. Both donors and their donations must be carefully screened in order to prevent the spread of blood-borne illnesses. To this end, there are a few rules regarding international travel that every potential donor should read before giving blood.

Malaria

• Rules regarding travel and blood donation are in place as a safeguard against the spread of malaria, a blood-borne illness often transmitted by mosquitoes. Potential donors who have traveled in areas in which malaria can be found (parts of Africa, Asia and South America) must wait a year after returning before giving blood. People who have lived in these countries for an extended period of time must wait three years after their return to the United States before donating.

Mad Cow Disease

• Another rule applies to people who have lived in countries in which mad cow disease has been prevalent. Potential donors who have lived in these areas are completely prohibited from ever donating blood. This is because of the potential to spread Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease, a human variation of mad cow disease. In both livestock and humans, this disease is fatal.

HIV

• Another rule is in place as a measure against the spread of a particular virulent form of HIV known as HIV Type O. HIV-O can be found in many West African countries, including Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. People who were born or lived in any of these countries are prohibited from donating. In addition, any people who have come in close contact with individuals from these countries are ineligible as well. This extreme precaution is taken because, although blood donations are carefully screened for HIV and other diseases, HIV-O may not show up in standard screenings.