#WorldBloodDonorDay - Terms and Conditions for Blood Donation

What is a unit of Blood? Blood is collected in plastic bags which contain a fluid which prevents blood from getting coagula...

What is a unit of Blood?
Blood is collected in plastic bags which contain a fluid which prevents blood from getting coagulated.
Blood banks usually draw 450 ml of blood when the blood donation is in the blood bank & 350ml when the blood donation is in a blood donation camp (outside the hospital). This blood, along with the anti coagulant present in the bottle or bag, is known as one unit of blood.


Why and where needs of Blood Donors 

• Every year our nation requires about Five Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager Seventy to Eighty Lakh units of blood are available.
• Every 2 seconds someone needs blood.
• More than One million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.

Facts about Blood Donors

• The only one reason donors say they give blood is because they "want to help others.
• Two most common reasons cited by people who do not give blood are: "Never thought about it" and "I don't like needles." Like this.
• One Unit of Blood donation can help save the lives of up to t 3 people.
• If you began donating blood at age 18 and donated every 90 days until you reached 60, you would have donated 30 gallons of blood, potentially helping save more than 500 lives! In your life .
• Only Seven percent of people in India have O- negative blood type.
• Are you know that O-negative blood type donors are universal donors as their blood can be given to people of all blood types.
• Type O-negative blood is needed in emergencies before the patient's blood type is known & with newborns who need blood.
• 35 percent of people have Type O (positive or negative) blood.
• 0.4 % of people have AB-blood type.
• AB-type blood donors are universal donors of plasma, which is often used in emergencies, for newborns & for patients requiring massive transfusions.
• There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O.

Blood donation process

• Blood Donating is a safe process. A sterile needle is used only once for each donor & then discarded.

Blood donation is a simple 4 step process

1.  Registration,
2.  Medical History and mini-physical,
3. Donation.
4. Refreshments.

• Every blood donor is given a mini-physical, checking the donor's temperature, blood pressure, pulse & hemoglobin to ensure it is safe for the donor to give blood.
• The actual blood donation typically takes less than 12-15 minutes.
• The entire process, from the time you arrive to the time you leave, takes about an hour and 20 min.
• The average adult has about 10 units of blood in his body. Roughly 1 unit is given during a donation.
• A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days, or double red cells every 112 days easily .
• A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as Seven days apart, but a maximum of Twenty Four times a year.
• All donated blood is tested for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis and other infectious diseases before it can be transfused to patients.

Who can donate blood

• You are between age group of 18-60 years.
• Your weight is 45 kgs or more.
• Your haemoglobin is 12.5 gm% minimum.
• Your last blood donation was three months earlier.
• you are healthy and have not suffered from typhoid , malaria or other transmissible disease in the recent past 6 Month

Who can't donate blood

• Fever in the past One week or more.
• Under treatment with antibiotics or any other medication.
• cardiac problems, hypertension, epilepsy, diabetes (on insulin therapy), history of cancer,chronic kidney or liver disease, bleeding tendencies, venereal disease etc.
• Major surgery in the last 6 months.
• Vaccination in the last 24 hours.
• Females should not donate blood during pregnancy.

About the author

Sunil Poonia ( Poonia4india )

Poonia4india is the Owner/Founder/CEO of Any Shops India and writes
on various topics like Online Earning, SEO, Blogging etc. He has worked
on many blogs and also works as an SEO Analyst. Apart from blogging
He is also pursuing a Master degree in Computer Application. :)