Find here some of the most popular myths and truths about these important procedure

At the initiative of the Red Cross, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every June 14 with the aim of raising awareness among people about the need to make regular donations and to thank those who, voluntarily, have decided to give themselves to others and create community.

Leer en español: Conozca mitos y verdades sobre la donación de sangre

This year, the motto of the campaign, “Give yourself to others. Donate blood. Share life”, seeks to draw attention to how many lives can be saved through voluntary donation systems and invites healthy people, especially young people, to donate.

Unfortunately, the fact that today blood banks do not have a large flow of donors has to do with all the myths that have been created around the procedure.

For this reason, and in order to educate, we have gathered here some of the most popular myths and truths about blood donation, according to the Colombian Ministry of Health and the coordinator of Nursing at the University of the Pacific, Jesskara Cornejo:

1. MYTH: If I have tattoos or piercings, I cannot be a donor. Although it is a risk factor for the medical team, since it does not know the conditions of the place where tattoos were made, people with piercings and tattoos can donate after 8 to 12 months of the procedure with the appropriate medical examinations.

2. TRUTH: Those who have a cold cannot donate blood. A person with the flu cannot be a donor, because they are going through an infectious process. It is recommended to donate blood safely after a week of recovery.

3. MYTH: Blood is only needed when there is a disaster or a war. Many people think that, but in reality, blood is needed daily. It is used for cardiovascular surgeries, cesareans, transplants, and accidents. In addition, each donation is processed to obtain different products that can help up to three different people.

4. MYTH: Donating blood makes you fat or thin. Each donor is extracted an amount of approximately 450-480 ml. of blood. This figure does not cause any kind of change in the human body. However, it is true that the appetite opens after the procedure, so it is recommended to eat in a balanced way and drink plenty of liquid during the next twelve hours.

5. MYTH: If you are taking medication, you cannot donate blood. The intake of drugs can restrict donation, but not in all cases. People who cannot donate because they are taking a specific medication are those who suffer from epilepsy, high blood pressure (if their blood pressure is not within an acceptable range), kidney and heart failure. On the contrary, those women who use contraceptives can donate blood, since it is not contraindicated.

6. MYTH: Donating blood is dangerous because it can be contagious with some disease. There is no way to get sick from any disease by making a blood donation, because all the material used in the donation (syringes, needles, etc.) is new, single-use and completely sterile.

Latin American Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez
Translated from “Conozca mitos y verdades sobre la donación de sangre”