Blood donations after Caribbean cruise?

[DonnaK]

Does anyone have personal experience with donating blood after a cruise? So many places in the Caribbean are on the "forbidden" list - has anyone actually been turned away, and if so, where had you traveled to that triggered the rejection??

[BonnieVA]

I think Belize & Guatemala visits will prevent you from donating for a year. It also sometimes depends on where you visit at certain ports. For example, there are some countries where it's ok to donate afterward but not if you visited certain Mayan ruins. I can't remember which ones exactly because I dealt w/ this issue a year ago after my "Exotic Western Carib" cruise.

[smeyer418]

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical-listing#arc11

 

the list of prohibited countries and permitted ones is at the end of this. I have had blood refused for being in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

[luddite]

You'll be on a 12 month deferral.

Any Mayan ruins. Samana,DR. Roatan, Belize,Guatemala also cause the deferral.

They aren't happy with me. I'm O neg,CMV neg and no risk groups. Except for cruising to places they don't like me to visit.

You've GOT to tell them. This is people's lives.

[Roadtripster]

Yep, I was denied for one year and by golly, when that date was up, I was getting a phone call wanting me THAT DAY to donate. I had to refuse, it was too late in the day and I had to get to work. I will do it when my work has the blood drive coming up.

 

I think they said my two "no no" stops were Belize and Roatan.

[scottbee]

Does anyone have personal experience with donating blood after a cruise? So many places in the Caribbean are on the "forbidden" list - has anyone actually been turned away, and if so, where had you traveled to that triggered the rejection??

 

Lots of places will place you on a 'forbidden' list. England for example. More than 6 months cumulative since 1980 will put you on a permanent ban here in Canada

[Capt_BJ]

different collection agencies have different lists so "it depends"

 

I've also found that once denied - but then the supply got REALLY low - I sometimes got a call asking a few more questions and suddenly I was OK. For the most part when you stay in the immediate port area there isn't much risk. Risk level increases when you go out of the developed areas but like I said "it depends"