srefre

I just got back from donating blood today after work, and it made me wonder whether there is a similar setup in the US?

Given the whole private medical thing, it's unlikely to work in the same way. Do any of you guys know how this works, or perhaps even do it yourselves?

Will, as a resident alien, I be able to get involved?

Thanks

Ozzidoc

Yes, there is a similar set up here in the US.
No, as a (former) UK resident, you cannot donate. Mad cow disease and all that.

srefre

Really?
I'm not questioning my potential eligibility, just the reason for not being able to.

Also I take it by your wording that means I will never be able to donate, even after having been in the US for a certain period of time?

Englishtart

Hubby (US native) used to donate thru' his job every year (Military) after we did a stint in the UK for a couple years, he has never been able to donate here since! He was pretty upset and still thinks it's stupid, but it's just the rules. There was talk a year or so back of changing it, so you could donate after say 5/10 years of leaving the UK, but haven't heard anything definite on that.

Same thing goes for donating organs too, as far as I know

sir_eccles

There is a particular timeframe when if you lived in the UK for more than a few months you are ineligible. I want to say 1980-96 for six months.

A USC friend of mine who spent sometime at a UK university in the 80s suddenly found out she couldn't donate.

I would like to point out that although you cannot donate blood, you can still donate bone marrow. Probably because if you are a match for the patient it then becomes a one to one relationship and they can test you specifically and it is up to the patient to decide. Please register for the bone marrow registry, many people could be helped.

srefre

Thanks!

Just found this page also. http://www.americasblood.org/go.cfm?do=Page.View&pid=2

Its funny, its not like me not donating really affects me, just makes me a bit sad that I can't do it. Especially with no proof CJD is transmitted through blood, although I guess no proof it is not either.

avanutria

Hm, I was in the UK for five years and signed up as an organ donor when I returned to the US and they didn't ask me any questions. Though it was through the DMV and I don't know if they're even aware I had been overseas, since I'd maintained a US license for a different state.

Giantaxe

As the law currently stands, that will be the case if you lived in the UK in the window from '80 - '96:

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donatin...l-listing#arc5

Englishtart

We are all on it, my SIL has leukemia, unfortunately none of us were a match

Ash UK/US

This thread got me thinking... when was the last time you heard about a human having CJD? It seems like it has been a long time, maybe it is still happening but is not news worthy?

Giantaxe

http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/figures.htm

CJD has been round a long time, so these cases didn't start with the mad cow scare. Suffice to say, a small number of deaths (see the vCJD column) can presumably be attributed to mad cow, but there has been no epidemic as predicted 15 years ago. Also, the numbers of vCJD are now tailing off to next to nothing.

SarahG

I gave blood regularly and was on the bone marrow register in the UK. As I am not allowed to give blood here in the US how can I get registered as a bone marrow donor? In the UK it was done when I went to give blood one time.

Octang Frye

They still don't know whether there will be a spike, an epidemic, if you will.
I seem to remember reading that the people that got sick and died may have had a genetic susceptibility to it. But we could all be carrying it, and it may have an 20 or 40 year incubation period. And then boom, millions of us get it.

Ash UK/US

That would explain it.

Giantaxe

Nothing's certain, but the fact that the number of vCJD cases per year has declined to almost 0 makes this kind of scenario increasingly unlikely.