[Aptorian]

Fear of v-syndrome, similar to Krantzberg syndrome.

I'm not allowed to donate either because I had Malaria 20 years ago.

[Cause]

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 02:05 PM, said:

Fear of v-syndrome, similar to Krantzberg syndrome.

I'm not allowed to donate either because I had Malaria 20 years ago.

You have had malaria?!

[amphibian]

Cause, on 11 April 2019 - 01:53 PM, said:

Just got rejected by the blood service at work, they come every few months or so to do a blood drive. I didn't know this but it turns out you cant donate blood for five years after cancer. I didn't donate when I had cancer obviously and during the recovery but for the last year or so I just didn't donate because like magic, during every blood drive I was sick. I went to this one and I was happy to go again, I believe its a great thing to do, and it really sucked to be told I couldn't.


Also will impact my finances in America when I cant sell my blood! Seriosuly for between 25 and 75 dollars for an hours donation that can save lives, why doesn't everyone do it?

I'm heterozygous for Factor 5 Leyden - which is a blood clotting disorder. Donation is not outright banned for me, but it's not particularly welcomed.

My mother has a rare plasma type that has the Red Cross essentially calling her up when they run low. So she donates very often.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 11 April 2019 - 05:02 PM, said:

Cause, on 11 April 2019 - 01:53 PM, said:

Just got rejected by the blood service at work, they come every few months or so to do a blood drive. I didn't know this but it turns out you cant donate blood for five years after cancer. I didn't donate when I had cancer obviously and during the recovery but for the last year or so I just didn't donate because like magic, during every blood drive I was sick. I went to this one and I was happy to go again, I believe its a great thing to do, and it really sucked to be told I couldn't.


Also will impact my finances in America when I cant sell my blood! Seriosuly for between 25 and 75 dollars for an hours donation that can save lives, why doesn't everyone do it?

I'm heterozygous for Factor 5 Leyden - which is a blood clotting disorder.

My wife has that EXACT same thing. It's funny, I'd never heard of it before I met her, but now you're the 3rd person I've heard of with that specific clot issue.

We thought we were a good matchup because I have the opposite, Von Willebrand's, which is a lack of clotting similar to mild haeomophilia, so we figured we cancelled each others genetic disorders out.

[Aptorian]

Cause, on 11 April 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 02:05 PM, said:

Fear of v-syndrome, similar to Krantzberg syndrome.

I'm not allowed to donate either because I had Malaria 20 years ago.

You have had malaria?!

Three times over the course of half a year.

Only got really sick from it once, the other times just felt like having a hangover and the runs at the same time.

[Mezla PigDog]

I'm O negative so once the UK blood service got my details it's like being on call for vampires.

Cause - the US model of paying for donations caused the infected blood scandal in the UK in the 80s. Typically low income people donate to supplement their income which brought in various people with unhealthy habits and associated blood borne infections. The UK health service bought in US blood products and hey presto, hepatitis and HIV infections went through the roof in hemophiliacs. In China the lack of clean needles for blood donations has caused whole villages to be decimated by HIV when low income people are paid to donate.

I may sound critical but I'm not. Also not remotely insinuating that low income people are harbingers of infectious disease! But y'know, epidemiology and all that. I can't work out the correct ethics of paying for blood, it's a murky business. The US model allows companies to pay newly infected people for their blood over their HIV seroconversion phase which is a hugely lucrative commodity in the IVD industry that I work in. Companies that make HIV tests have to prove they can detect infection early so they have to buy these seroconversion panels to test. No other country in the world has such a well resourced industry to collect this type of stuff and because the donor gets paid they are more likely to take part.

I read a stat that the US blood product industry was like 2% of their economy or something which is frickin huge. The mind boggles.

/random blood borne infection interlude.

This post has been edited by Mezla PigDog: 11 April 2019 - 07:48 PM

[Cause]

Mezla PigDog, on 11 April 2019 - 07:45 PM, said:

I'm O negative so once the UK blood service got my details it's like being on call for vampires.

Cause - the US model of paying for donations caused the infected blood scandal in the UK in the 80s. Typically low income people donate to supplement their income which brought in various people with unhealthy habits and associated blood borne infections. The UK health service bought in US blood products and hey presto, hepatitis and HIV infections went through the roof in hemophiliacs. In China the lack of clean needles for blood donations has caused whole villages to be decimated by HIV when low income people are paid to donate.

I may sound critical but I'm not. Also not remotely insinuating that low income people are harbingers of infectious disease! But y'know, epidemiology and all that. I can't work out the correct ethics of paying for blood, it's a murky business. The US model allows companies to pay newly infected people for their blood over their HIV seroconversion phase which is a hugely lucrative commodity in the IVD industry that I work in. Companies that make HIV tests have to prove they can detect infection early so they have to buy these seroconversion panels to test. No other country in the world has such a well resourced industry to collect this type of stuff and because the donor gets paid they are more likely to take part.

I read a stat that the US blood product industry was like 2% of their economy or something which is frickin huge. The mind boggles.

/random blood borne infection interlude.

I wasnt being really serious. I agree that paying for the donations mist be problematic. The USA I believe wont take my blood anyway because Im from Africa which is considered high risk for malaria and HIV etc. Every country outside of Africa considers African blood toxic near as I can tell. Even South Africa wont accept blood from anyone from any country outside of south africa. Which is actuallya bit rich since one in five people in my country have HIV

This post has been edited by Cause: 11 April 2019 - 08:06 PM

[Mezla PigDog]

Ha, yeah, wasn't implying anything at you. It just triggered a stream of consciousness in me because blood borne infections are my professional area of expertise these days. I was discussing with a colleague the other day about how much more we love HIV compared to Hepatitis! I really love infectious disease and the way the science of the infectious agent mixes with sociology and behaviour and economics and politics and what not. Really interesting stuff until you catch a bad one!

[Puck]

Just dropping in to say how highly interesting your past two posts are, Mezla.

And speaking of donating blood, I'm not allowed to anymore, either. Because I take meds for asthma. I took a look at the restrictions on donating blood in Germany last year and the list was so long, I think it was fifty pages or more, of stuff you're not allowed to have or take or to have had or taken in the x past weeks/months/years/ever. Which makes sense but makes it even more important that people who are in a position to be allowed to donate, do so.

Messing with my groove is my issue with communicating prices for my work. Like, I know what I can demand and how much it's worth, but I'm still like, but what if that's too much? But I'm already lowballing it because reasons? And I need the money. Oof.

[worry]

@Mezla: Do you and your coworkers ever talk about the climate change-facilitated mosquitopocalypse to come?

@Puck: You're an incredible artist! Whatever you're charging, I know it's not too much.

[Mezla PigDog]

worry, on 12 April 2019 - 02:25 AM, said:

@Mezla: Do you and your coworkers ever talk about the climate change-facilitated mosquitopocalypse to come?

@Puck: You're an incredible artist! Whatever you're charging, I know it's not too much.

A bit. We regulate diagnostic devices in the EU. Devices are classed by risk to the EU population and the higher risk they are the more we have to do to check them. Mosquito borne infections aren't high risk in the EU right now but I guess that's going to change come the mosquitopocalypse.

[Morgoth]

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 05:09 PM, said:

Cause, on 11 April 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 02:05 PM, said:

Fear of v-syndrome, similar to Krantzberg syndrome.

I'm not allowed to donate either because I had Malaria 20 years ago.

You have had malaria?!

Three times over the course of half a year.

Only got really sick from it once, the other times just felt like having a hangover and the runs at the same time.

Where in the world were you at the time? I assume Denmark isn't infested with malaria, though I wouldn't be surprised living without mountains would be dangerous like that.

I donate blood too, though I'm a standard A and so not particularly interesting as far as blood types go. We don't get paid here, but I do get to pick an item from the gift area (which is why I have a full set of moomin mugs) and there's food and drink available for free. I don't know, I like giving blood. I bring a book and feel smugly good about myself.

[Macros]

I'm a bad person, I have never given blood.

I probably should

[Mezla PigDog]

Macros - you get free tea, coffee, biscuits and orange squash at UK blood donation centers. What's holding you back?!

I don't think anywhere in Western Europe pays for blood donations. It's a conscious health policy decision not to for public health and financial reasons. When blood is donated it has to be tested for HIV, hepatitis, HTLV and syphilis to make sure it is safe. You know the tubes of blood they take first before hooking you up to the bag? Those are the ones that get sent for testing. Testing costs money and the infection rate is low (UK HIV rate in the population is 0.2%) so they pool blood samples and test a bunch at a time. If they get a positive then the bloods in that pool are tested individually and the offending donation is identified. It's more cost and time effective that way and they eliminate higher risk donations at the donation point, hence all of the behavioural and travel questions before you donate. It's a finely balanced system. They don't care so much about the cost in the US as their healthcare model passes the bill onto the user rather than the government and there is massive profit in selling blood products. It's a huge growth industry as cell based therapies take off for cancer treatment.

The companies I regulate have to source positive blood to prove their devices work. In the EU they have to work with a hospital lab and get access to samples with loads of ethical approvals etc., it takes a long time and not many labs are set up to host collaborations with industry because they are pushed for resources. Loads is done through the German Red Cross who are set up nicely to do it. In the US they can just pay for access because there is no ethical issue as the donor was paid (apart from the huge ethical issue of cash incentives for human tissue donations). It's also why the hard Brexit deadline got quite hairy for us because we came within a few days of having to pull all of the blood donation testing devices off the market in the EU that were regulated via the UK - which is about 80% of them.

In China the government are following the US model but didn't resource it properly which is why needles and tubing was reused and people got infected. It's a big hushed up scandal in that country. The government won't admit it. Although saying that they have only just approved a UK public enquiry into our contaminated blood scandal from the 80s. The government allegedly knew the blood products were probably a risk and were slow to implement use of a more expensive alternative. Loads of kids got HIV and/or hepatitis.

This post has been edited by Mezla PigDog: 12 April 2019 - 08:38 AM

[Cause]

Puck, on 11 April 2019 - 11:12 PM, said:

And speaking of donating blood, I'm not allowed to anymore, either. Because I take meds for asthma. I took a look at the restrictions on donating blood in Germany last year and the list was so long, I think it was fifty pages or more, of stuff you're not allowed to have or take or to have had or taken in the x past weeks/months/years/ever. Which makes sense but makes it even more important that people who are in a position to be allowed to donate, do so.

Yes they are very strict and in many cases they have good reason to be but in my case I think they are being ridiculous. I'm not radioactive, the chemodrugs cant have a half life of more than a week so really their cant be any left in my system at this point (waiting five years?). There is not one recorded case of cancer being spread by blood transfusion. I just don't understand this ban.

Morgoth, on 12 April 2019 - 07:06 AM, said:

I donate blood too, though I'm a standard A and so not particularly interesting as far as blood types go. We don't get paid here, but I do get to pick an item from the gift area (which is why I have a full set of moomin mugs) and there's food and drink available for free. I don't know, I like giving blood. I bring a book and feel smugly good about myself.

Here I do it for that smugly feeling and a free cookie! I want moomin mugs so badly now! Had to google what they were! I also like to joke (proud atheist otherwise) that if my blood saves a life god has to let me in to heaven. Insurance!

I'm just A+, so not special either. I really wanted to be AB. I'm selfish like that.

Macros, on 12 April 2019 - 07:58 AM, said:

I'm a bad person, I have never given blood.

I probably should

Do it! If I inspired you, its like I almost donated blood and I can almost get into heaven.

[Aptorian]

Morgoth, on 12 April 2019 - 07:06 AM, said:

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 05:09 PM, said:

Cause, on 11 April 2019 - 02:45 PM, said:

Aptorian, on 11 April 2019 - 02:05 PM, said:

Fear of v-syndrome, similar to Krantzberg syndrome.

I'm not allowed to donate either because I had Malaria 20 years ago.

You have had malaria?!

Three times over the course of half a year.

Only got really sick from it once, the other times just felt like having a hangover and the runs at the same time.

Where in the world were you at the time? I assume Denmark isn't infested with malaria, though I wouldn't be surprised living without mountains would be dangerous like that.

I donate blood too, though I'm a standard A and so not particularly interesting as far as blood types go. We don't get paid here, but I do get to pick an item from the gift area (which is why I have a full set of moomin mugs) and there's food and drink available for free. I don't know, I like giving blood. I bring a book and feel smugly good about myself.

I spent 6 months in Angola when I was 18 working for HOPE. It was (is?) a NGO focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted deseases. It apart of UFF/HPP/Tvind if you've heard about that group of missfits in Norway.

If you want to lose weight fast, I can recommend Malaria. You'll be shitting brown water for a week.

[Abyss]

Macros, on 12 April 2019 - 07:58 AM, said:

I'm a bad person, I have never given blood.
...

That you know of.

[Tiste Simeon]

I give blood but I'm not very good at doing it regularly. Need to get on with it tbh.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2019 - 05:55 PM, said:

I give blood but I'm not very good at doing it regularly. Need to get on with it tbh.

No problem. What time do you usually go to sleep?

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 12 April 2019 - 06:59 PM, said:

Tiste Simeon, on 12 April 2019 - 05:55 PM, said:

I give blood but I'm not very good at doing it regularly. Need to get on with it tbh.

No problem. What time do you usually go to sleep?

I have a 5 month old baby so your question is meaningless to me.