blood donors

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Red Cross Announces Emergency Blood Shortage, With a 'Super' Appeal

US humanitarian group is giving donors a chance to win Super Bowl trip if they roll up their sleeves

(Newser) - An emergency blood shortage has prompted the American Red Cross to make an appeal to all eligible donors: Please come in, roll up your sleeves, and give a little. On Sunday, the humanitarian aid group announced it's seeing the lowest number of US blood donors in two decades, and...

FDA Has a New Rule for Gay, Bisexual Blood Donors

Gay, bisexual men in monogamous relationships can now donate without abstaining from sex

(Newser) - Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can give blood in the US without abstaining from sex under updated federal health guidelines that focus on donors' behavior, not their sexual orientation. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines finalized Thursday ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV....

FDA to Make Big Move on Blood Donation Rules

No more automatic 3-month waiting for gay, bi men, per proposal

(Newser) - A big change looks to be coming to the Food & Drug Administration's long-criticized guidelines for blood donors as it relates to the LGBTQ community. Bloomberg reports that the agency is seeking to ease its restrictions on gay and bisexual men, who, under the current policy, have had to...

US Facing 'National Crisis' on Blood Supply

Red Cross is warning of 'severe blood shortage' around the nation

(Newser) - "Every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood," per the American Red Cross. Now, however, "crucial patient care" is getting pushed off thanks to what the group says is a "severe blood shortage" nationwide, per the New York Times . In a release issued June 14,...

Blood Donation Rules Changed—Likely for Good

New policy for gay men expected to stay in place

(Newser) - The US government Thursday eased restrictions on blood donations from gay men and other key groups because of a drop in the nation's blood supply triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration's new policy aims to allow tens of thousands more Americans to give blood,...

Can Your Rare Blood Save This Toddler With Cancer?
Wanted: 'Extremely
Rare Blood' for
Sick Toddler
in case you missed it
Dec 8, 2018 6:30 AM CST

Wanted: 'Extremely Rare Blood' for Sick Toddler

Donors for Florida girl need 'O' or 'A' blood type, with parents 100% Pakistani, Iranian, or Indian

(Newser) - A toddler in Florida has spurred a hunt for compatible blood donors, and the requirements are incredibly rigid. The little girl, identified as Zainab, 2, was diagnosed just a few weeks ago with neuroblastoma , a rare kind of blood cancer that typically only strikes children ages 5 and younger, WPLG...

It's Outrageous That Gay Men Can't Donate Blood
It's Outrageous That Gay Men Can't Donate Blood
OPINION
Jun 13, 2016 12:03 PM CDT

It's Outrageous That Gay Men Can't Donate Blood

Nightclub massacre casts spotlight on FDA rules

(Newser) - In the wake of the Pulse Orlando massacre, many in the LGBT community want to do something to help victims and to remember the dozens of lives lost at the LGBT nightclub—but for many of those looking to help, donating blood is not an option. Though the FDA recently...

After Blood Transfusion, Boy Allergic to Peanuts

And fish, in 'extremely rare' case

(Newser) - An 8-year-old boy in Canada never had any problems eating salmon or peanuts. Then, within just a few weeks of getting a blood transfusion as part of his treatment for brain cancer, he ate salmon and experienced a severe allergic reaction within 10 minutes. The same thing happened when he...

FDA Lifting Lifetime Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood

But there will still be restrictions

(Newser) - The FDA announced today that it will lift its lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, the Los Angeles Times reports. Instead, men who have had sex with men will be allowed to donate blood one year after last having sexual contact with another man, the FDA...

That Blood You Donated Is Being Sold

Lawsuit sheds light on lucrative business

(Newser) - To a patient in need, donated blood is priceless—but to nonprofit blood centers, the precious bodily fluid is worth between $180 and $300 a pint. So says Ben Bowman, CEO of "blood broker" General Blood, which is currently in the midst of a legal struggle with one such...

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