Blood Donation Clinics Open in Astra Hall This Week

By Brían Donnelly | Nov 6 2017

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has opened a clinic for donating blood in Astra Hall in the Student Centre from 6th-9th November. It is open from 11am this morning, 6th November. The process takes approximately an hour and half, from registration to refreshments. Eligibility for blood donation can be checked online or in-person at the clinic, where a questionnaire will be completed. Certain medications, recent travel abroad, or illness may make a donor ineligible. Persons with hepatitis B or C, HIV, and those who have used needles to take non-prescribed drugs may not give blood. Men who have had anal or oral sex in the last twelve months cannot give blood even if they are using the anti-HIV drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Women under 26 years who are less than 5'6" in stature and weigh less than 10st 3lbs will have to have their eligibility checked either at the clinic or at this link.According to the IBTS website, only 3% of the Irish population donate blood, with one-in-four needing a blood transfusion at some point in their life. About 3,000 blood donations are required every week, with the ‘lifespan’ of a unit of blood ranging from 35 days for an adult, and 5 days for very young children.Blood types can also be identified while donating blood. The most common blood type in Ireland O-, which is prevalent among approximately 46% of the population. AB+ and AB- are the least common at 2% and 1% of the population respectively.Donors are encouraged to drink plenty of cold, non-alcoholic fluids prior to donating blood and eat a substantial meal to avoid the risk of fainting during or after the donation. A full list of the clinic opening times is available here.