By following a few recommendations before, during and after your blood donation can help you make your donation experience as safe, successful and pleasant as possible.

Before Your Donation

• Maintain a healthy iron level in your diet by eating iron rich foods, such as spinach, red meat, fish, poultry, beans, iron-fortified cereals and raisins.
• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Drink an extra 16 oz. of water and fluids before the donation.
• Eat a healthy meal before your donation. Avoid fatty foods, such as hamburgers, fries or ice cream before donating. Tests for infections done on all donated blood can be affected by fats that appear in your blood for several hours after eating fatty foods.

Basic Requirements

• Be at least 17 years old in most states
• Weight: At least 45 kg (100 Ibs) for both males and females
• Well Being: Feeling well that day. Not having colds, coughs or flu in the last one week. No fever (Temperature >37.5°C) in the last 3 weeks.

Major Illness/Surgery

Persons with the following conditions are not eligible for blood donation:

• Diseases of the heart or lungs (Donors who are asthmatic and without symptoms of asthma is eligible)
• High blood pressure on medication
• Diabetes on medication
• Major surgery (can donate after 12 months)
• AIDS or symptoms of AIDS, such as unexplained fevers, severe night sweats, unexpected weight loss, swollen glands, chronic diarrhoea or rare cancer
• Epilepsy
• Hepatitis B or C
• Syphilis

Some Common Reasons For Temporary Deferral

• Cold, flu or sore throat, please wait one week after recovery or treatment
• Tooth extraction or dental work, please wait 3 days after treatment
• Skin infections (minor), wait 1 week after complete healing
• Normal pregnancy, please wait 6 weeks after delivery and when you are not breast-feeding.
• Travelled to a malaria endemic area such as rural areas in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, etc, please wait 6 weeks to 3 years and ask the attending doctor/nurse whether you are eligible for donation
• Close contact with Hepatitis B, wait 12 months and after full course of hepatitis B vaccination (and shown a satisfactory antibody response)
• Infectious Diseases e.g. Chickenpox, Measles, Dengue, wait 6 months after recovery

Medication

People who are taking drugs for cancer treatment, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes or current infections will not be accepted as blood donors.

For those taking:

Traditional Medication	Please wait 3 days
Antibiotics	Please wait 1 week
Anti-malaria Medication	Please wait 4 weeks