Give the Gift of Life on World Blood Donor Day in Vallarta-Nayarit Team Angels - PVAngels
June 13, 2014

World Blood Donor Day, June 14: Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. Give the gift of life - Donate Blood (Techfest)

It is a daily battle searching for blood for critical patients in all of our local hospitals in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.

Please consider donating the Gift of Life in conjunction with World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) taking place this year on Saturday, June 14.

WBDD was established in 2004 and serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary life-saving gifts of blood.

The theme this year is "Safe Blood for Saving Mothers." The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness about why timely access to safe blood and blood products is essential for all countries as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent maternal deaths. The global host for the WBDD 2014 event is Sri Lanka. Through its national blood transfusion service, Sri Lanka has been promoting voluntary unpaid donation to increase access to safe and sufficient blood and blood products.

Please keep in mind that donation requirements in Mexico are different than in the United States and Canada.

This list of donor requirements comes directly from the Blood Bank Director, but it is not complete. Medical professionals will discuss and evaluate each donor's health history and activities in a confidential setting prior to blood donation.

Donor eligibility criteria is intended to protect the health and safety of the donor as well as the patient who will receive the transfusion.

Basic requirements for blood donors are as follows:
• Over 18 years old - maximum age 65 years old
• Weight at least 50 kilos
• Good health (meaning donor feels well, can perform normal activities and has no chronic conditions)
• No alcohol beverages in the past 48 hours
• Fasting for a minimum of 4 hours and no more than 8 hours.

Do not donate blood if:
• Have AIDS or a positive HIV test, Hepatitis, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Papiloma, Chagas Disease, Herpes or engage in high risk sex.
• Have any of the following conditions that can be signs-symptoms of HIV: Unexplained weight loss or night sweats, blue or purple spots in your mouth or on your skin, swollen lymph nodes for more than one month, white spots or unusual sores in your mouth, cough that will not go away, diarrhea that will not go away, fever.

Other Disqualifiers:
• Have used drugs, steroids, hormones
• Have had vaccines, antibiotics and some medications in the last month
• Have had sexual contact with more than three people in the last five years
• Are male who has had sexual contact with another male
• Have tattoos on your body
• Are pregnant or menstruating

Once donated, the following exams are performed on the blood: HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Brucella, Syphilis, VDRL, Chagas, Hematocrit, Hemoglobin, Rh Factor, Blood Type, Inverse and Direct group, Type and Cross match compatibility.

Please consider donating the Gift of Life, just as soon as you can! It is a daily battle searching for blood for critical patients in all of our local hospitals.

To donate, please go to the Puerto Vallarta Blood Bank, located on the 2nd floor at Hospital San Javier, across from where the cruise ships dock. The Blood Bank is open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Saturday.

La importancia de donar sangre (Hospitales Angeles)

La sangre es un tejido líquido que, por el momento, no se puede obtener artificialmente. Sólo los seres humanos podemos suministrarla para el beneficio de nuestros semejantes. Todos los días del año muchos pacientes son sometidos a operaciones, otros necesitan intervenciones de urgencia por accidentes laborales o de tráfico, y otros luchan contra enfermedades. Todos dependen de una transfusión sanguínea, para la cual la donación es fundamental. Regala vida, dona sangre.

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