Can I Give Blood If I Have Traveled Outside The US?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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If you have traveled or lived in a malaria-risk country, we may require a waiting period before you can donate blood.

Wait 3 years after completing treatment for malaria

. Wait 3 months after returning from a trip to an area where malaria is found.

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What will disqualify you from donating blood?


Blood and bleeding diseases or issues

will often disqualify you from donating blood. If you suffer from hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease, hereditary hemochromatosis, or sickle cell disease, you are not eligible to donate blood. If you have sickle cell trait, it is still acceptable for you to donate blood.

Can I donate blood if I’ve been to Mexico?

Along with Mexico, officials have also issued a warning for countries in Central and South America. They say if you’ve traveled to any of the affected areas,

you should wait at least four weeks to donate blood

.

Which blood Cannot donate blood?

If your blood type is: You can give to: You can receive from:
AB Positive


AB+

Only All Blood Types
O Negative All Blood Types O- A Negative A-, A+, AB-, AB+ A-, O- B Negative B-, B+, AB-, AB+ B-, O-

What should you not do before giving blood?


Avoid fatty foods

, such as a hamburger, fries or ice cream. Drink plenty of water before the donation. Check to see if any medications you are taking or recently took would prevent you from donating. For example, if you are a platelet donor, you must not take aspirin for two days prior to donating.

Can you donate blood on your period?


You can safely donate blood during your period if it is required

and your period will not be affected by the donation. It may be better to donate the week after periods, but it is still manageable if you are not bleeding heavily, your haemoglobin is more than 11 g/dl and you are not in any discomfort or pain.

Can you give blood if you have been to Dominican Republic?

Dominican Republic – Risk in all areas (including tourist resorts of Puerto Plata and Punta Cana)

except no risk in cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago only

. … No deferral if donor did not travel outside of the cities of Santo Domingo or Santiago for more than 24 hours.

Can I donate blood if I traveled to Europe?

Travel to certain countries may prevent you from donating blood, temporarily. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict policies in place to prevent the theoretical risk of spreading mad cow disease in the blood supply. Check with

CBC

if you have traveled to the United Kingdom and Europe.

What is the golden blood type?

The golden blood type or

Rh null blood group

contains no Rh antigens (proteins) on the red blood cell (RBC). This is the rarest blood group in the world, with less than 50 individuals having this blood group.

What are the 3 rarest blood types?

  • AB-negative (. 6 percent)
  • B-negative (1.5 percent)
  • AB-positive (3.4 percent)
  • A-negative (6.3 percent)
  • O-negative (6.6 percent)
  • B-positive (8.5 percent)
  • A-positive (35.7 percent)
  • O-positive (37.4 percent)

Should I drink water before giving blood?

Drink water: A good portion of the blood donated is made up of water, so be sure to drink water before and after donating. Most locations advise

drinking about 16 ounces of water beforehand

. This will help reduce fatigue and dizziness after donating by keeping your body hydrated and replenished.

Why should you avoid coffee before donating blood?

Caffeine makes you pee, which means less liquid in your body. Donating blood means losing even more liquid. Being dehydrated means you might be the guy who passes out on donation day, and no one wants to be that guy. So caffeine

falls firmly in

the “who cares” category, as long as you stay well-hydrated.

What is the best blood type to have?

Types

O negative and O positive

are best suited to donate red blood cells. O negative is the universal blood type, meaning that anyone can receive your blood.

Why can’t I drink coffee after donating blood?

“Continue drinking plenty of liquids for the next 24-48 hours to prevent low blood pressure,” adds Agrawal. Dr Chaturvedi’s advice is to avoid caffeinated drinks (colas, coffees, etc.) for the next

8-10 hours since caffeine is a diuretic and causes loss of fluids from the body

.

Can I drink alcohol the night before donating blood?

Alcoholic beverages lead to dehydration.

Try to avoid drinking alcohol 24 hours before giving blood

. If you do drink alcohol, make sure to compensate by drinking extra water.

What countries visited prevent you from donating blood?

You may not donate if you received a blood transfusion since 1980 in

France, Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar or Falkland Islands.

Why can’t I donate blood if I lived in England?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has imposed a ban on blood donations from anyone who has spent more than six months in Britain from 1980 to 1997

because of the possible risk of transmitting the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy

, known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

How do I find out my blood type without a test?

Without drawing blood

A person may be

able to use a saliva sample to test for their blood type

, as some people produce the characteristic antigens in their saliva. According to 2018 research , if a person does secrete these antigens in their saliva, a sample of dried saliva can reliably indicate their blood type.

Do siblings have the same blood type?

It depends on the blood types of the parents.

Siblings share 50% of their genes

, so they would have 50% of their alleles in common, on average. There are two pieces of information that determine blood type: the ABO type and the Rh type. People can be A, B, O, or AB for their ABO type.

What is the healthiest blood type?

What might some of those health outcomes be? According to Northwestern Medicine, studies show that: People with type O blood have the lowest risk of heart disease while people with

B and AB

have the highest.

Can blood type change?

Usually, you will have the same blood type all of your life. However, in some cases,

the blood types have changed

. This has been due to unusual circumstances, such as having a bone marrow transplant or getting certain types of cancers or infections. Not all of the changes in blood type are permanent.

What is the most common blood type for Caucasian?


Blood type O-negative

O-negative blood type is most common in the U.S. among Caucasian adults, at around eight percent of the Caucasian population, while only around one percent of the Asian population has O-negative blood type.

What blood type are Native American?

All major ABO blood alleles are found in most populations worldwide, whereas the majority of Native Americans are nearly exclusively in

the O group

. O allele molecular characterization could aid in elucidating the possible causes of group O predominance in Native American populations.

What is the most useless blood type?

  • Less than 1% of the U.S. population have AB negative blood, making it the least common blood type among Americans.
  • Patients with AB negative blood type can receive red blood cells from all negative blood types.

Which blood type lives the longest?

Life Span. Chances are higher you’ll live longer if you have

type O blood

. Experts think your lowered risk of disease in your heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease) may be one reason for this.

Which blood group is most resistant to diseases?

Carriers of

blood group 0 (I)

are generally more resistant to diseases, with the exception of H. pylori-associated gastrointestinal diseases. Carriers of «antigenic» blood groups A (II), B (III), AB (IV) are more susceptible to development of infectious, cardiovascular and cancer diseases.

What should you eat after getting blood drawn?


Meats, fish, nuts and peanuts

are common protein-packed foods rich in iron. In addition, foods such as raisins, beans, whole grains, rice flakes and watermelon can help restore your body’s iron to keep you healthy.

Can I donate blood if I take ibuprofen?


Aspirin and ibuprofen will not affect a whole blood donation

. However, apheresis platelet products can be affected if aspirin or aspirin products are taken 48 hours prior to donation. Many other medications are acceptable.

How long does it usually take to donate blood?

Whole blood donation takes

about 45-60 minutes

. Apheresis blood donation (double red cells, platelets, plasma) takes about 1 1/2-2 hours. Double red cell donation takes about 30 minutes longer than a whole blood donation.

Can I eat eggs before donating blood?

If you don’t have enough iron stored away prior to giving blood, you could become anemic, which can make you feel tired and weak. Iron-rich foods include red meat, eggs, poultry, fish and leafy green vegetables.

Why do they give you cookies after giving blood?

After you donate, we give you cookies and juice to enjoy.

Your body needs to replenish fluids lost over the next 12 – 24 hours

.

Can I donate blood if I take naproxen?

As far as OTC pain relievers like Aleve, Advil or Tylenol go,

you can give blood without any problems after taking them

.

Do you gain weight after donating blood?

Fact:

Blood donation does not cause weight gain

. In fact, the process your body undergoes to replace the blood or plasma that you donate actually burns additional calories. While this calorie burn is not significant or frequent enough to actually cause weight loss, it certainly does not cause any weight gain, either.

What happens if you give blood on an empty stomach?

Avoid Donating Blood Without Eating i.e. On An Empty Stomach:

Drawing blood from your body will have an effect on your blood pressure for a short while

. Low blood pressure can lead to certain conditions like fainting, dizziness, shivering, etc. These conditions will worsen if you donate blood on an empty stomach.

Do you burn calories donating blood?

Burning calories.

No, blood donation won’t become a weight loss fad any time soon. However, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have found that

you can lose up to 650 calories per pint of blood donated

. That’s not a bad deal for kicking back and doing a good deed.

Diane Mitchell
Author
Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.