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Bone marrow is responsible for rapidly creating blood cells in the body. I needed frequent blood transfusions because chemotherapy drugs indiscriminately attack rapidly dividing cells, including both cancerous and healthy cells, like those in bone marrow, hair follicles and the digestive tract. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, called on the FDA to “update its outdated and discriminatory blood donors deferral policies,” according to a letter sent last month.
Why cant gay men donate blood in florida update#
“It’s really time for us to update the policy so it reflects society in 2022 and what we know about HIV,” he said. Wolf said that he hopes the study will help the federal agency move toward a blood donor screening process that specifically looks for people who are HIV-positive or have unprotected sex, rather than imposing a blanket ban on all gay and bisexual men. He then gave a blood sample that was tested for HIV.
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As a study participant, Wolf said that he answered a set of targeted questions such as how many sexual partners he’s had, whether the sex was protected, and his HIV status. In August 2021, Wolf participated in an ongoing FDA-funded study to find alternatives to the current blood donation policy for men who have sex with men. He said the policy, which excludes queer men who are monogamous, test HIV negative and are practicing safe sex, exacerbates the blood supply crisis. One donation can yield the same amount as 8 to 10 whole blood donations, Forbes said. This option is less popular because it takes more time and less people are aware of it. People can also choose to donate platelets, which take about 90 minutes. Each serves a different medical purpose, so one donation can help save the life of three patients.
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The rest of the time is for filling out paperwork, checking vital signs, and staying put for about 15 minutes after the donation so the body can recover.īefore whole blood donations reach hospitals, Forbes said, they’re tested for infection and separated into their components - red blood cells, platelets, plasma.
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The process for a whole blood donation takes 45 minutes, though it only takes 10 minutes to draw blood. “I’ve seen many first-time donors go, ‘That was so easy. Forbes urges people who are healthy and eligible to donate. OneBlood has 88 donation centers in Florida and more than 200 Big Red Buses that collect blood between Florida and North Carolina. “We have guidelines that we ask physicians to follow so that we are only prepping the blood that is really, truly needed for the patient.” ‘That was so easy’ “We don’t allow people to just order five units of blood or something on a patient,” Cawley said. But Forbes said those who are feeling ill should wait until they’re healthy. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 can donate blood. Many are wary of entering public spaces and risking infection, and therefore are less likely to visit a blood donation center. When COVID-19 hit, most people started to work from home and blood drives typically held in offices or schools were canceled. The pandemic is to blame, said Susan Forbes, senior vice president of corporate communications at OneBlood, Florida’s primary blood donation organization. More than 16 million units of blood are transfused annually - that’s 45,000 units needed every day - and that shortage has forced some hospitals in the country to postpone surgeries and alter treatments, according to the organizations. The country’s blood supply is at its lowest point in over a decade. Īmerica’s leading blood donation organizations - The American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers and Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies - declared the nation’s first-ever blood crisis earlier this month, due to COVID-19.