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1. Why should I donate blood?
2. What is blood?
3. Which types of blood are compatible?
4. How much is a unit of blood?
5. Who may donate blood?
6. Is there a substitute for blood?
7. The Donation Process.
8. Tips for donation
9. Does it hurt?
10. What should I do before donating?
11. How long does a donation take?
12. How will I feel after the donation?
13. The route of donated blood
14. How long will my body take to replace the donated blood?
15. Can I donate blood during the menstrual period?
16. How soon after donating can I participate in sport?
17. How often can I donate blood?
18. What tests are performed on my blood after donation?
19. What does it mean to have a rare blood type?
20. How does the WPBTS meet the need for rare blood types?
21. Is it possible to be infected with HIV/AIDS by donating blood?
22. Do I need my parents' permission to donate blood?
23. When not to donate
24. One blood donation can help a number of people
25. What do I get in return for my blood donation?
26. Myths and facts about blood donation

Why should I donate blood?

Blood is the life-sustaining fluid no person can do without and it is estimated that eight out of ten of us will need blood or blood products in our lives.

It has no substitute; the only way to obtain it is with the voluntary participation of donors who have made the commitment to be of service to their fellow humankind.

Every blood donation gives the recipient a new chance at life and any existing donor can attest to the sense of pride knowing that they have taken the opportunity to change someone else's life for the better.

Blood (called whole blood) can be separated into four basic components:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells
• Plasma
• Platelets

While whole blood is used only in case of severe blood loss due to surgery and trauma or for exchange transfusions in infants, most donations are separated into transfusable components through a special spinning or centrifugation process.

Transfusion patients will only be treated with the particular component or blood product that their injury or illness requires.

Each donation that the WPBTS receives is used as effectively as possible and can therefore contribute to saving up to four lives.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to tissue, where it also picks up and returns carbon dioxide to the lungs from where it is exhaled. These essential cells can be frozen or must be used within 42 days of donation if fresh.

White blood cells are disease fighters that attack and eradicate viruses and infections from the body.

Plasma comprises approximately half of each unit of whole blood. It is the liquid which literally floats the cells throughout the body and contains nutrients and proteins. It is used primarily as a source for clotting factors, the replacement of blood volume and the production of albumin, a protein used the treat severe shock, burns and blood loss.

Cryoprecipitate is a small portion of plasma that is harvested using a freeze-thaw process. It contains factors to help blood clot and is used primarily as a source of clotting factor VIII for patients with classic haemophilia.

Platelets help blood clot and are used to treat patients with bone marrow production problems and illnesses such as leukaemia. Platelets must be harvested within eight hours of donation and are stored at room temperature in a gently agitated state so as to be functional when transfused. They must be used within five days of donation.

The average adult has between four and five litres of blood in their body and can easily spare one unit, which is measured at 475ml.

The criteria for donor selection are designed to protect the health of donors and recipients.

• Be healthy
• Weigh at least 50kg
• Be 17 years old or older
• Maintains a safe sexual lifestyle

The criteria for the deferral (refusal) of donors are carefully considered and there may be a variety of reasons why someone might, temporarily or permanently, not be able to donate.

If you are in any doubt about whether you should donate blood or not, please discuss your concerns with a member of the Service's staff or contact the WPBTS's medical officer at our Pinelands head office.

Blood is made up of different components that each fulfils its own important function in the human body. It cannot be replicated and has, to date, no substitute.

Substances, such as the haemoglobin solution prepared from cattle (bovine) blood that is designed to carry oxygen, are currently being evaluated and is available internationally in very limited quantities.

These oxygen carriers circulate in the blood stream for a short period and can only be used as a temporary measure.

In cases of trauma or during surgery, lost blood volume may initially be replaced with synthetic solutions (crystalloid or colloid solutions) such as normal saline.

These solutions are not recognised as blood substitutes but rather as blood volume expanders because they do not carry oxygen. They are also used only as an interim treatment, for example in the ambulance or while blood is being obtained from the blood bank.

For the vast majority of patients however, there is no substitute for blood. When the patient's haemoglobin, platelet or coagulation factor levels fall below a critical value, a blood transfusion means the difference between life and death.

All donors report at the reception desk where new donors give their name and details and regular donors' names are checked on the WPBTS database using their Donor Card that contains their blood type and details.

A blood iron test is performed to check the level of haemoglobin in the donor's blood.

Every time a donor donates, they are required to complete the confidential questionnaire as accurately and honestly as possible to ensure that there is no risk of potentially transmitting an infection through transfusion. This questionnaire asks very personal questions, but it is in the best interest of the donor and recipient to ensure that everything about the donor's health and lifestyle is in order.
New donors are assisted by the nursing sister who goes through questions with them and answers any queries.

Once the questionnaire is completed and found to be in order the donor is referred to a chair and the sister hands the completed questionnaire to reception where the bags and test tubes are labelled and issued for the donation.
The clinic attendant takes the bags and specimen tubes to the donor, identifies the donor in the chair, checks the labels and bags and then sets them up for the donation by cleanings their arm and checking blood pressure and pulse.
Bleeding commences
The donation process takes about 10 minutes and approximately 475ml blood is taken.

The donor is then ushered to the tea area where they can take a seat and something to drink and a biscuit before leaving the clinic.

The unit is taken to a separate area (or room) where the blood and tubes are correlated with documents before it is packed in a secure, sealed container. All donations from a specific clinic are transported by drivers assigned for this purpose to the WPBTS laboratories in Pinelands where information is correlated again before the blood is tested and processed.

It is important to note that the final decision for acceptance/deferral of donors at a clinic rests with the medical sister on duty.

• Drink at least four non-alcoholic beverages in the 4 — 5 hrs after you've given blood, particularly in summer.
• If you feel dizzy, lie down or sit with your head on your knees.
• Keep the dressing on your arm dry and in place for five hours after donation.
• If your arm begins to bleed, raise it up in the air and apply pressure on the site until bleeding stops.
• Do not do heavy exercise or lifting on the day of donation.
• Reduce the extent of regular exercise or sporting activity for a few days after donation.
• If you are worried about bruising or pain in the arm where the needle was inserted, please contact the WPBTS and ask to speak to a doctor or nursing sister.
• In the unlikely event that you feel faint, be sure to lie down on your back with your legs elevated. This usually resolves any feeling of light-headedness and should prevent fainting.

No. Donors experience a little sting when the needle is inserted into the arm, but it should not be painful during the donation process.

• Eat all your regular meals and drink plenty of fluids on the day of your donation.
• Have a snack at least four hours before you donate, but do not eat a big meal shortly before it.
• Before you leave the clinic after your donation, enjoy a cup of tea, coffee or a soft drink to help replace your blood volume that has been reduced as a result of the donation.
• Avoid taking aspirin or similar anti-inflammatory medication in the 72 hours prior to your donation. (Aspirin inhibits the function of blood platelets. If you have taken aspirin within this period, your blood platelet component cannot be transfused to a patient.)

The complete process, from reporting at reception to enjoying a drink afterwards can take between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on the size of the clinic and the number of donors. The actual donation will take approximately 10 minutes.

Regular donors, who know what to expect and have eaten regular meals, or have had a snack and fluids before donating, usually feel very good.
Most individuals who donate blood suffer no side effects, especially if they drink enough fluids in the four hours following the donation.
A small number of people feel light-headed and others occasionally faint.
If you do not feel well after donation, please speak to the nursing sister on duty at the clinic.

All donations are delivered to the WPBTS head office and laboratories in Pinelands for testing and processing within hours after collection.

It is essential that blood is tested and processed as soon as possible after donation to ensure that none of the components are lost.

Red cells and whole blood will last up to 42 days if refrigerated while platelets must be harvested within eight hours after donation and lasts only five days.

Once it arrives in the laboratory, each unit is weighed, labelled and sorted according to the method of processing it will undergo.

Great care is taken to ensure that labelling on blood packs correlate to all other documentation.

The two blood specimens taken at the donation are sent for testing in the WPBTS's state laboratories for HIV 1, 2 and subtype O, hepatitis B and C and syphilis. The blood group of the donor is established and in the case of a new donor, the grouping is verified by a second test.

The human body replaces the blood volume (plasma) within 24 hours. Red blood cells are replaced by the bone marrow within three to four days, while the lost iron is replaced after approximately six to eight weeks.

Yes, if you are feeling well.

It is best to have a snack and drink enough fluids during the next four hours after you've donated, before you resume routine sporting or training activity.
It is not advisable to donate blood three to four weeks before participating in a major sporting event such as the Comrades Marathon or a competitive rugby or soccer match.
Many active sports people are blood donors, but they could consider becoming platelet donors as the red blood cells are returned to the donor after donation so the individual's oxygen-carrying capacity and performance is not compromised.
In the event that you do feel light-headed or unwell during sporting activity after donating blood, stop the activity immediately and rest.

Each type of donation, whether it is whole blood or platelets only, requires a certain waiting period between donations.
The waiting period between whole blood donations is 56 days, which makes six donations a year possible although most donors are comfortable giving four.
Women of childbearing age are advised not to donate more than four times per year.
Platelet donors are able to donate as often as once a month.

After your donation, a specimen of your blood will be tested to determine your ABO blood group and Rhesus (Rh) type.
All blood is tested for certain transmissible diseases — Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV 1 & 2 and subtype O.
After the tests have been performed and the donation has been given the all clear, your blood will be used either as whole blood (transfused to a recipient) or in its various components (red blood cell, platelet or plasma) after separation that will help several recipients.

Not every infection in a person's blood can be detected by these tests and it is therefore vitally important that individuals who may be infected with a transfusion transmissible disease must not, under any circumstances, donate blood.

Any blood found to have a transmissible disease is incinerated and the donor is informed of this step immediately.

To check the test results, it may be necessary to contact donors to draw a new blood sample and all donors are notified personally and in the greatest confidence of any positive test result.

Donating blood is not a way to find out if you have HIV or AIDS. The WPBTS can refer donors to a number of specialist HIV/AIDS testing centres in the Western Cape, so please speak to the clinic sister for more information.

Every person belongs to one of the four ABO blood group types, A, B, AB, or O. In addition to these ABO blood groups, every individual's red blood cells consist of many other antigens that make up part of their red cell structure.

Occasionally an individual is born with an unusual, specific red cell antigen or some individuals' red cells lack an antigen which is common to most people. These differences are recognised as rare blood types. Others have antibodies against a specific blood type and in these circumstances it may be difficult to find a suitable match from a regular blood group.

This is why compatibility tests on the blood of the patient and the donor is essential before every blood transfusion to ensure that the recipient will not experience an adverse reaction.

First time blood donors are notified of their ABO blood group and Rhesus (Rh) blood type by post after it has been determined by the laboratory.

The two blood services in South Africa, WPBTS and the SANBS, has compiled a Rare Donor File of blood donors who have rare blood types.
Blood from donors on this panel can be obtained whenever a recipient in need of a rare blood type transfusion is identified by the blood bank.

In exceptional cases, where compatible blood cannot be obtained locally, blood is obtained from the International Rare Donor File. Similarly, blood from a South African donor can be sent to an overseas country to assist a recipient with a rare blood group.

No, it is not possible to be infected with the HIV/AIDS virus or any other infectious disease by giving blood.
The materials used during your blood donation, including the needle, bag, tubes and finger prick needle are new, sterile and disposable. These are used only once and destroyed after use.

You may decide for yourself if you want to become a blood donor from the age of 17. If you are a scholar, it is a good idea to discuss becoming a blood donor with your parent/s but no formal consent is required by parents in order to be accepted by WPBTS.

• If you have not had a light meal three or four hours before you give blood.
• After major surgery, defer from donating for six months.
• If you are due for an operation within six weeks.
• If you have had jaundice or hepatitis.
• Pregnant or nursing mothers should not give blood until six months after the baby's birth or three months after the baby is weaned.
• If you have had cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, or a bleeding disorder.
  
• If there is any possibility that you may have been exposed to the HIV/AIDS virus you should not register as a donor.
• If you are a competitive sportsman or involved in a "hazardous" occupation; taking medication or in any doubt about your health, please speak to the sister on duty at the donation clinic or phone the WPBTS to speak to the medical officer or head sister.
• These include, among others;
  • Individuals suffering from certain medical conditions or taking certain medication
  • Those whose social behaviour places them at increased risk of transmitting infections through transfusion (eg. previous or current drug addiction, recent tattoos or body piercing)
  • Athletes participating in rigorous training programmes

One blood donation can help a number of people

Blood (called whole blood) can be separated into four basic components:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells
• Plasma
• Platelets

While whole blood is used only in case of severe blood loss due to surgery and trauma or for exchange transfusions in infants, most donations are separated into transfusable components through a special spinning or centrifugation process.

Transfusion patients will only be treated with the particular component or blood product that their injury or illness requires.

Each donation that the WPTS received is used as effectively as possibly and can therefore contribute to saving up to four lives.

The WPBTS relies on a database of voluntary and loyal donors who have made a commitment to be of service to fellow South Africans without expecting payment of any kind.
Blood donors are proud to know that by taking only a couple of minutes out of their day, they are able to change someone else's life for the better.

It is agreed among blood service organisations across the world that payment in exchange for blood is an unacceptable motivation to encourage donation. By offering payment, unsuitable donors might be tempted to donate and in so doing compromise the WPBTS's objective of supplying safe blood and blood products to all the communities it serves.
WPBTS subscribes to the policy of 'voluntary non-remunerated blood donations'

MYTH: People risk contracting HIV/AIDS when they donate blood.
FACT: No one can contract HIV/AIDS when donating blood. The materials used during your donation, including the needle, bags, tubes and finger prick needle are new, sterile and disposable. These are used only once and destroyed after use.

MYTH: It might be safer to forego surgery or refuse transfusion than to risk getting HIV/AIDS from blood.
FACT: To refuse treatment poses a far bigger risk to life than the remote chance of contracting any disease as a result of a blood transfusion. Blood is a medicine and its use, just as any other medicine, entails certain risks. The benefits, however, of receiving much-needed blood far outweigh any other.

MYTH: Because of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, the risks associated with transfusions have never been greater.
FACT: South Africa's blood supply is much safer today than it was a decade ago and it is currently the only country in the world that tests every donor's contribution at each donation for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and C using the latest NAT testing technology, while maintaining an accurate record of all donors and test results.

Due to advances in medical research, it has become easier and more effective to test blood for diseases and to ensure that blood is carefully matched to the recipient. Physicians use blood and blood products sparingly and only when necessary, further contributing to a reduction of the risks posed by transfusion.

MYTH: After donating a unit of blood, you will feel weak and lose strength.
FACT: Only 10% of one's blood volume is withdrawn and no adverse effects should be experienced after donation. The body replaces the blood volume (plasma) within 24 hours. Red blood cells are replaced by the bone marrow within three to four days, while the lost iron is replaced after approximately six to eight weeks.