I Can't Give Blood

[pilotboy1985]

I can't give blood either... The reason? Because I'm gay.

It's such a shame that Canada will not accept blood donations from gay males.

 

If they get rid of this stupid rule I'd donate. :)

[RMM75]

I can't give blood either... The reason? Because I'm gay.

It's such a shame that Canada will not accept blood donations from gay males.

 

If they get rid of this stupid rule I'd donate. :)

 

They won't know you're gay unless you tell them. Same goes with trips to Labadee.

[boingy300]

It's a good idea to donate before your cruise (if it's been > than a year) or encourage family members to donate. My DH & I freq. go into Haiti and it keeps us from donating, so our twin sons stepped up to the plate on our behalf to donate. As a side note, esp. for men, some studies suggest it's good for your heart to donate on a reg. basis- so good for mankind & good for you.

Karen

[matj2000]

I never tell them any of the cruise stops. You are there such a short time it really isn't considered traveling to that country..

[kyriecat]

For some countries the list excludes some areas. For Panama it says the "Canal Zone" is okay but other areas of the country are not. However, some of the blood banks don't want to take a risk and won't let you donate anyway. I was on a Panama Canal cruise last month and never left the canal zone, but was still told no since my visit was so recent. :confused:

[negc]

We disembarked in Labadee, so we have been deferred for a year; however, according to the nurse with whom we spoke, there would have been no problem if we had stayed on board the ship.

 

That just illustrates the amount of misinformation that even seemingly knowledgeable health professionals can sometimes disseminate. Was the nurse somehow aware of some invisible barrier that would prevent those malaria bearing mosquitoes from gaining access to the ship and biting those passengers who had stayed onboard. The threat of being bitten by mosquitoes while in Labadee during the hours that the ship is in port there is minimal but the health authorities exercise extreme caution in accepting blood donations from folks who have been there and other areas of the world, even briefly. Perhaps they are being unnecessarily cautious but that is not for me to determine. However people like that nurse who don't know what they are talking about should be called on it when they make such ridiculous statements.:rolleyes:

[griffy116]

Even though the risk is minimal, the guidelines were set for a reason. My nephew (college) and my Grandson (high school) were both prohibited from donating blood last year because they completed the questions honestly, and we had been in Labadee. We didn't know they were going to donate or I could have explained they would be rejected. They were both a confused and a little embarrassed, especially the Grandson in high school, as to why his blood would be rejected. In spite of this, I would not have suggested he lie or withold the information. He was trying to do the right thing (in donating), and trying to do the right thing (in completing the questions honestly). I would never suggest he withhold the information.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I never tell them any of the cruise stops. You are there such a short time it really isn't considered traveling to that country..

 

 

:eek:Yikes. It only takes one small bite to be infected!

[Mark_K]

We disembarked in Labadee, so we have been deferred for a year; however, according to the nurse with whom we spoke, there would have been no problem if we had stayed on board the ship.

True. Since the local mosquitos don't have passports or birth certificates, they aren't allowed onboard the ship.

 

Although, I suppose if you don't get off the ship, you haven't actually been in/to Haiti, you've only been near it.

[negc]

Even though the risk is minimal, the guidelines were set for a reason. My nephew (college) and my Grandson (high school) were both prohibited from donating blood last year because they completed the questions honestly, and we had been in Labadee. We didn't know they were going to donate or I could have explained they would be rejected. They were both a confused and a little embarrassed, especially the Grandson in high school, as to why his blood would be rejected. In spite of this, I would not have suggested he lie or withold the information. He was trying to do the right thing (in donating), and trying to do the right thing (in completing the questions honestly). I would never suggest he withhold the information.

I agree and anyone who would withhold the information and put even one person at risk should seriously reconsider their position.

[BillOh]

Same for Costa Maya and Belize

 

I had no problem after belize in 2009.

[Aquahound]

We disembarked in Labadee, so we have been deferred for a year; however, according to the nurse with whom we spoke, there would have been no problem if we had stayed on board the ship.

 

This goes against everything I have been told. Being on a ship tied to the dock absolutely does mean you are in that country, so I'm surprised a nurse would say that.

[Wendy-Europe]

Hi

 

in Germany your blood donor is refused if:

 

4 weeks after returning from a trip to the US (between June 01 and Nov 30)

if you lived in the UK for more than 6 month between 1980 and 1996

 

for returning travellers from other countries there are the following rules (I think, the rules are similar everywhere):

 

(translation: Monate = month, keine=no restrictions, nach Rücksprache = after consulting your doctor)

 

Afghanistan 6 Monate

Ägypten 6 Monate

Albanien keine

Algerien 6 Monate

Andorra keine

Angola 6 Monate

Antigua u. Barbuda nach Rücksprache

Äquatorialguinea 6 Monate

Argentinien 6 Monate

Armenien 6 Monate

Aserbeidschan 6 Monate

Äthiopien 6 Monate

Australien keine

Bahamas nach Rücksprache

Bahrein keine

Bangladesch 6 Monate

Barbados nach Rücksprache

Belgie keine

Belize 6 Monate

Benin 6 Monate

Bhutan 6 Monate

Bolivien 6 Monate

Bosnien-Herzegovina keine

Botswana 6 Monate

Brasilien 6 Monate

Brunei nach Rücksprache

Bulgarien keine

Burkina-Faso 6 Monate

Burundi 6 Monate

Cayman-Inseln nach Rücksprache

Chile nach Rücksprache

China 6 Monate

Costa Rica 6 Monate

Dänemark keine

Dominika nach Rücksprache

Dominikanische Republik 6 Monate

Dschibuti nach Rücksprache

Ecuador 6 Monate

Elfenbeinküste 6 Monate

El Salvador 6 Monate

Eritrea 6 Monate

Estland keine

Fidschi keine

Finnland keine

Frankreich keine

Franz. Guyana 6 Monate

Franz. Polynesien keine

Gabun 6 Monate

Gambia 6 Monate

Georgien keine

Ghana 6 Monate

Grenada nach Rücksprache

Griechenland keine

Guadeloupe nach Rücksprache

Guam nach Rücksprache

Guatemala 6 Monate

Guinea 6 Monate

Guinea-Bissau 6 Monate

Guyana / Franz. Guyana 6 Monate

Haiti 6 Monate

Hawaii keine

Honduras 6 Monate

Hong Kong 6 Monate

Indien 6 Monate

Indonesien 6 Monate

Irak 6 Monate

Iran 6 Monate

Island keine

Israel keine

Italien keine

Jamaika nach Rücksprache

Japan keine

Jemen 6 Monate

Jordanien keine

Jungferninseln nach Rücksprache

Jugoslawien keine

Kambodscha 6 Monate

Kamerun 6 Monate

Kanada keine

Kap Verde 6 Monate

Kasachstan 6 Monate

Katar 6 Monate

Kenia 6 Monate

Kirgistan 6 Monate

Kiribati keine

Kolumbien 6 Monate

Komoren 6 Monate

Kongo 6 Monate

Kongo, Dem. Republik 6 Monate

Korea, Dem. Volksrepublik 6 Monate

Korea, Republik 6 Monate

Kroatien keine

Kuba nach Rücksprache

Kuwait keine

Laos 6 Monate

Lesotho nach Rücksprache

Lettland keine

Libano keine

Liberia 6 Monate

Libyen 6 Monate

Liechtenstein keine

Litauen keine

Luxemburg keine

Macao nach Rücksprache

Madagaskar 6 Monate

Malawi 6 Monate

Malaysia 6 Monate

Malediven keine

Mali 6 Monate

Malta keine

Marokko 6 Monate

Marschallinseln keine

Martinique 6 Monate

Mauretanien 6 Monate

Mauritius 6 Monate

Mayott 6 Monate

Mazedonie keine

Mexiko 6 Monate

Mikronesien keine

Moldawien keine

Monaco keine

Mongolei nach Rücksprache

Montserrat nach Rücksprache

Mosambik 6 Monate

Myanmar (Burma) 6 Monate

Namibia 6 Monate

Naura nach Rücksprache

Nepal 6 Monate

Neu Kaledonien keine

Neuseeland keine

Nicaragua 6 Monate

Niederlande keine

Niederländische Antillen nach Rücksprache

Niger 6 Monate

Nigeria 6 Monate

Norwegen keine

Oman 6 Monate

Österreich keine

Pakistan 6 Monate

Palau nach Rücksprache

Panama 6 Monate

Papua-Neuguinea 6 Monate

Paraguay 6 Monate

Peru 6 Monate

Philippinen 6 Monate

Polen keine

Portugal keine

Reunion nach Rücksprache

Ruanda 6 Monate

Rumänien keine

Russische Förderation keine

Sahara nach Rücksprache

Solomonen (Ozeanien) nach Rücksprache

Sambia nach Rücksprache

Samoa keine

San Marino keine

Sao Tomé u. Principe 6 Monate

Saudi Arabien 6 Monate

Schweden keine

Schweiz keine

Senegal 6 Monate

Seychellen keine

Sierra Leone 6 Monate

Simbabwe 6 Monate

Singapur nach Rücksprache

Slowakei keine

Somalia nach Rücksprache

Slowenien keine

Solomon Inseln 6 Monate

Somalia 6 Monate

Spanien keine

Sri Lanka 6 Monate

St. Helena nach Rücksprache

St. Kitts u. Nevis nach Rücksprache

St. Lucia nach Rücksprache

St. Vincent u. Grenardinien nach Rücksprache

Südafrika 6 Monate

Sudan 6 Monate

Surinam 6 Monate

Swasiland 6 Monate

Syrien 6 Monate

Tadschikistan 6 Monate

Taiwan nach Rücksprache

Tansania 6 Monate

Thailand 6 Monate

Togo 6 Monate

Tonga keine

Trinida u. Tobego nach Rücksprache

Tschad 6 Monate

Tschechische Republik keine

Tunesien keine

Türkei (Südosten) 6 Monate

Turkmenistan 6 Monate

Turks & Caicos Inseln nach Rücksprache

Tuvalu keine

Uganda 6 Monate

Ukraine keine

Ungarn keine

Uruguay nach Rücksprache

Usbekistan 6 Monate

Vanuatu 6 Monate

Vatikanstadt keine

Venezuela 6 Monate

Verein. Arabische Emirate 6 Monate

Vereinigte Staaten (USA) keine

Vietnam 6 Monate

Weißrußland keine

Zentralafrikan. Republik 6 Monate

Zypern keine

 

Wendy

[slfong]

true. Since the local mosquitos don't have passports or birth certificates, they aren't allowed onboard the ship.

 

although, i suppose if you don't get off the ship, you haven't actually been in/to haiti, you've only been near it.

 

 

lol! :d

[papakaiser]

I am a 3 gallon plus blood donor. The reason I have not made it to 4 gallons, or even more, is because of the restrictions in place for locations such as Labadee, Costa Maya, and Belize. After being deferred four times, because of new locations that I had visited on a cruise, and it seems like the list is always growing, I removed my name from the donor list.

 

I always knew when I had reached my 56 day time frame for donation. My phone would ring, and I would be asked for another donation of O+ blood.

After spending an hour each time going through screening, and finding out that a new item or location had been added to the deferment list, I stopped.

 

I understand the reason for the deferment criteria. But nothing in life is "Risk Free." From my experience, the reason the Red Cross is always crying for blood donors is the ever growing deferral list. You can't constantly eliminate normally healthy people, and still come up with the numbers the Red Cross needs for blood donation. Sooner or later, the pool runs dry.

[daisy-mae]

That just illustrates the amount of misinformation that even seemingly knowledgeable health professionals can sometimes disseminate. Was the nurse somehow aware of some invisible barrier that would prevent those malaria bearing mosquitoes from gaining access to the ship and biting those passengers who had stayed onboard....people like that nurse who don't know what they are talking about should be called on it when they make such ridiculous statements.:rolleyes:

 

I wasn't about to argue with her, since anyone who questions their procedure is automatically regarded with suspicion. (I once commented on the lengthy AIDS questionnaire, and the look I got lead me to believe that I was very close to being disqualified). Her reasoning was that if we did not set foot on land, then, technically, we would not have been in the country. As a regular blood donor, I figured it was safer to just admit to having visited Labadee and have a clear conscience, rather than run the risk of being "tripped up" during a subsequent donation.

[Marian Paroo]

I'm sure that most of you already know this, but I'm just confirming. If you have been to Haiti in the last 12 months, you will be deferred from donating blood for 12 months. I just tried to do it at my school and I was deferred due a risk of exposure to Malaria. So if you are a blood donor, and have been to Labadee, you will be deferred for 12 months.

 

Thanks for posting that. I am not planning a trip to Haiti any time soon, but I will pay more attention to the no-no list the next time i donate blood!

[negc]

I wasn't about to argue with her, since anyone who questions their procedure is automatically regarded with suspicion. (I once commented on the lengthy AIDS questionnaire, and the look I got lead me to believe that I was very close to being disqualified). Her reasoning was that if we did not set foot on land, then, technically, we would not have been in the country. As a regular blood donor, I figured it was safer to just admit to having visited Labadee and have a clear conscience, rather than run the risk of being "tripped up" during a subsequent donation.

 

I understand and sympathize with your decision. I would probably have done the same, although I would be sorely tempted to mention her comments to someone higher up in the chain of command.

[jackretired]

We are having an emergency blood drive because of tornado that hit Joplin MO, including the hospital. Many of the patients and newly wounded transfered down here.

 

My wife tried to donate, but they would not take her blood because of her cruise history. Our stop at Samana &/or Haiti could not be tolerated.

[CoachMom76]

This happened to me as well after our 2001 cruise stop in Labadee. I have an ill sister who may need my blood at any time, and I had no idea that Labadee would be a problem. Luckily, I went to a random blood drive and it wasn't my sister or someone else needing my blood right away!

[cruisintwinsmom]

Malaria risk.

[Puffinater]

There was a post about this, giving blood, last week that pretty much said the same thing. Does anyone know if the cruiseline provides this info when heading to these ports?

[CoachMom76]

I don't remember being told before we got to Labadee...however, Labadee was a surprise stop for us due to Hurricane activity. Maybe if you book with a stop in Labadee, they do advise.

[crusinmama06]

I don't remember being told before we got to Labadee...however, Labadee was a surprise stop for us due to Hurricane activity. Maybe if you book with a stop in Labadee, they do advise.

 

They don't. I've been to many of the places listed on the banned list and have never been warned in advanced. I am guessing they see it as a bad thing to include in the marketing brochure. "Beautiful sun kissed beaches -- by the way, you may get malaria and you are banned for a year from donating blood"

[CoachMom76]

They don't. I've been to many of the places listed on the banned list and have never been warned in advanced. I am guessing they see it as a bad thing to include in the marketing brochure. "Beautiful sun kissed beaches -- by the way, you may get malaria and you are banned for a year from donating blood"

 

 

LOL!! True! Still would be good to know.