Posted on 08/07/2003 6:25:46 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
The U.S. military has a critical need for Type O blood donors to help save the lives of battlefield injury victims.
"Type O donors are the first line of defense for trauma victims," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ruth Sylvester, director of the Armed Services Blood Program, according to a news release from the Army Surgeon General's office.
Sylvester explained that until a blood type can be verified, Type O blood is used to keep trauma victims alive. In an emergency, a battlefield injury victim can require more than 40 units of blood.
"Once their blood type is determined, type-specific blood is transfused," he said. "But without Type O blood available, many patients would never make it until the test results came back."
The Armed Services Blood Program said it also needs Type O blood to maintain its frozen blood reserve.
The military keeps a supply of frozen red blood cells to use when fresh blood is not immediately available. Frozen blood can be safely stored for up to 10 years.
The current need is acute, Sylvester said, because military blood donor centers can only collect blood from active duty service members, government employees, retirees and military family members.
Many veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom cannot donate blood for a year because they served in areas where malaria is endemic.
"We're always thankful to our donors," Sylvester said. "We know that blood donations save lives every day. Repeat donors and those who ask that we call them when their blood type is needed help ensure we have a consistent supply of all blood types. They're literally lifesavers when an urgent need arises."
Blood program officials encourage potential donors or those who could sponsor a group blood drive to contact their local military blood collection facility.
I don't think so, but meat from England was shipped all over Europe.
I've never developed any symptoms aside from being somewhat MOOOOOODY.
In-Depth Discussion of Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease and Blood Donation
In some parts of the world, cattle can get an infectious, fatal brain disease called Mad Cow Disease. In these same locations, humans have started to get a new disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.
There is no evidence that vCJD can be transmitted from donors to patients through transfusion. However, nobody knows for certain that this cannot happen, and animal studies indicate that it is theoretically possible. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.
At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:
You are not eligible to donate if, since 1980, you : Spent a total time of 3 months or more in any of these countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Channel Islands, or Spent a total time of 6 months or more in any combination of these countries: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azores, Belarus, Belgium, Boznia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Channel Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Island, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Republic of), Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira Islands, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands (Holland), Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Scotland, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City, Wales, Yugoslavia (includes Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia)
Received insulin derived from cattle (bovine) from any of the countries listed above
Received a blood transfusion in any of these countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Channel Islands
I spent nearly 6 years in Europe and looks like I'm now PDQ from donating again and I had donated several gallons prior to that.
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