Chandra gaarU, << I tried to donate blood here in US few times, but Red Cross has turned down all the times for the reason that I have travelled to india within the last 18 months or so.I just pity those guys.Waiting eagarly for the opportunity to donate sometime soon during india visit. >>
I wanted to raise this issue myself - about Indians not being able to donate blood in the USA. I tried that with even smaller organizations/blood banks and they sometimes agreed, took my blood, and later called to inform me that it was discarded! In fact, only some parts (particularly up north) are demarcated as malaria zones and thus they are overcautious with all Indians donating blood. However, I have found a work around to this issue! In our small town too, there's a semi-commercial (?) firm that uses blood plasma alone from the whole blood, and they actually take blood from Indians too! This is a bit more time-consuming, since blood is first drawn out (less than 40-50 mL each time), the plasma is separated by what is called "apheresis", and the red and white blood cells and platelets are again "re-injected" into the body! The exact time of plasma donation (240 mL?) depends on how much one's body is hydrated; if you did not drink enough fluids that day, it takes longer. Try to find some such firm in your area too. "BioLife" has a branch in Ruston, Louisiana, where I live, and here is their web page that explains the process: <http://www.biolifeplasma.com/en/donating-plasma/donation-process.html> Hope this helps. NaChaKi PS: Oh, BTW, that's what I am planning to do for MAD's anniversary. (And, another comment I wanted to make - I could make Krishna gaaru happy with this - I was not a part of the poll that was conducted about MAD's name, but I'd have opposed the name too! Anyway, the issue is now over, I guess.)
