Wait ... Everyone Cant Donate Blood

Wait ... Everyone Cant Donate Blood floridapolitics.com According to a statement made by the bank: “The blood center is at full capacity and is asking donors to help over the next several days to help replenish the blood supply … Thousands of people packed our donor centers and blood drives eager to donate and help replenish the blood supply. Your immediate response to help patients in need was unprecedented and remarkable.” According to Orlando Health, “We have experienced a huge outpouring of support. Local blood banks have over 600 units of blood on hand, which is more than usual as a result of all the donations.” Still, with all of this support, there was also serious controversy. It happened when individuals learned that restrictions barring sexually active, gay men from donating blood still stood, even after such a tragedy. People turned to social media to express their anger at this ban, as the attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando was a direct hit to the LGBT community, and certain members of said community were now completely helpless in its aftermath. In some select postings across social media, this anger was conveyed: OUT Magazine stated, “Shocking: Gay bisexual blood donations STILL restricted after #Orlando massacre.” Jared Polis, a congressman who identifies as gay, stated, “There’s an urgent need for blood donors in Orlando. Gay men still can’t donate.” But what are the reasons for such a ban? In all honesty, these restrictions have been kept in place for the safety of the public, including the victims of the Orlando shooting. According to the FDA, these restrictions are not meant to be discriminatory, but are meant to prevent a virus known to cause AIDS out of blood donations. Therefore, men who have had sex with another man within the past year aren’t able to donate. While this guideline has been softened in the past, it still stands, and for good reason. Prior to screening for HIV, the disease was spread through blood donations. At the end of 2001, according to NBC News, “more than 14,000 people became infected with HIV through blood transfusions, many of them children. Experts estimate that the risk of being infected with HIV if you get a contaminated blood transfusion is 90 percent.” And because one blood donation will typically go to about three recipients, this is a big deal. And even more important, early infections aren’t detectable in tests for the disease. So the ban stands, and there are more exclusions than just gay men. Sex workers, drug users that use injections, those who’ve recently gotten a tattoo and those at risk for the Zika virus are also turned away at blood banks. But why gay men specifically? These men, specifically in Southern regions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have a 30 percent HIV infection rate, African-American men with a 50 percent lifetime risk of HIV. These numbers could be the result of a number of explanations, a majority of which is a failure to be tested and unsafe sex practices. So with numbers like these, the ban on gay men’s donations stands. Of course, that isn’t to say that the ban is universally accepted. Some experts claim the year-long time period is too long (tests now can actually show results within a few days of infection). According to OneBlood, donations make it to recipients within a three day period, and the bank isn’t up to date with the FDA’s guidance, meaning any man that has ever had sex with another man isn’t eligible to donate, completely negating the one year rule. While restrictions like this feel discriminatory and certainly send a bad message to those that don’t understand the statistics, the CDC and FDA stand by them, at least for now, as the blood supply is nearly free of HIV since the ban was put in place. Now, the risk for infection is about one in 1.5 million. These are much more manageable odds. Still, this causes problems when national tragedies, such as the recent tragedy that struck Orlando, call for help. Many Americans want to help, some of which are now unable, whether they want to or not. And for those that are able, only about 10 percent will actually help by donating. (This statistic rises quite a bit in the wake of disasters, but nonetheless, numbers aren’t nearly as high as they could be.) So for anyone eligible to help, it’s time to do your part. Visit the Red Cross website to find blood drives in your area even if you aren’t native to Orlando, there is always a need for blood donations. You never know when or where the next disaster will hit. According to the Red Cross, “Today’s tragedy illustrates that it’s the blood already on the shelves that helps during an emergency.”