Hi all,

To those thinking of donating blood..good on you! But here's some info I got from the Australian Red Cross website on people who cannot donate blood for reasons listed below.

Reasons for temporary deferrals:
There are many reasons for temporary deferrals, these are some of the more common reasons.
You will be temporary deferred if you :
*are pregnant, recently gave birth or are currently breast feeding
*have a cold, flu, sore throat or diarrhoea
*have been taking antibiotics in the last 5 days
*had dental work (fillings/cleaning in the last 24 hours and 1 week for root canal treatment

Reasons for 12 months deferrals

You will not be able to give blood for a period of 12 months after you : *had a tattoo
*had a blood transfusion
*had any piercing performed with clean, single use disposible equipment (in which case Plasma only can be used)
*have been in prison or lock up
*had male to male sex
*had sex with a prostitute
*had a partenr with hepatitis B or C

Reasons for permanent deferrals

Unfortunately , there are some circumstances that wil prevent people from giving blood.You will be permanently deferred if you :
*lived in the UK between 1980-1996 for a cumulative period of six months or more
*are HIV positive
*injected drugs not prescribed by a doctor or dentist
have hepatitis B or C
*had open heart surgery
*are under 16
*are over 70

Disclaimer : This information was obtained from the Australian Red Cross webiste. Please refer to them for any queries or comments.

So there you are guys....

If you are not in any situation listed above...then you are most likely able to donate blood. So go for it!