January is marked as National Blood Donor Month to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation. This year, it holds special significance as the country faces an emergency shortage, with donations reaching an all-time low in the past two decades.
According to the American Red Cross, the number of people donating blood through the nonprofit has fallen by about 40% in the last 20 years. In addition to the overall decline in donations, interruptions in the blood donation process between Christmas and New Year’s Day have led to a shortfall of approximately 7,000 units.
People who are 17 years old (16 with parental consent where permitted by state law), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and are in generally good health are eligible to donate blood in the U.S.
“Although roughly 66% of the U.S. adult population is eligible to donate blood, only 3% of the population donates blood,” Dr. Jessica Jacobson, director of Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine at Bellevue Hospital-New York University, told Medical Daily.
Many people refrain from donating blood due to fear and misunderstandings about the procedure. Here, Dr. Jacobson tries to dispel some common myths associated with the process to encourage more people to donate blood.
Myth#1 Donating blood makes you sick, donors can contract infection.
Fact: Healthy people who donate blood will not become less healthy afterward, and there is no risk of catching infection through donation.
“Blood donation is very safe. Each donor is drawn with a sterile single-use kit. A donor is not exposed to the blood of any other individual. 95+% of donors have no adverse effects. Most side effects, when they occur are mild and include bruising, feeling faint, and nerve irritation. Less than 0.1% of blood donors experience significant blood donation reactions which require medical treatment,” Dr. Jacobson said.
Myth#2 If you are on any medication, you can’t donate blood
Fact: While the majority of medications do not make one ineligible for blood…
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