Malaria and blood donation

[TSandM]

DandyDon, I have to differ with you about how hard a blood substitute is being searched for. One of my friends and colleagues at the University of Washington has been involved in blood substitute research -- It's an active area. It's just not very successful. Trying to find something that carries as much oxygen as hemoglobin does AND will unload it to tissues AND doesn't excite an immune or clotting response AND will store AND is cheap enough to be practical has not been an easy challenge to meet.

There would be ENORMOUS profit for a company that could successful develop and manufacture a blood substitute. Don't think for a minute it isn't being actively studied.

 

[DandyDon]

DandyDon, I have to differ with you about how hard a blood substitute is being searched for. One of my friends and colleagues at the University of Washington has been involved in blood substitute research -- It's an active area. It's just not very successful. Trying to find something that carries as much oxygen as hemoglobin does AND will unload it to tissues AND doesn't excite an immune or clotting response AND will store AND is cheap enough to be practical has not been an easy challenge to meet.

There would be ENORMOUS profit for a company that could successful develop and manufacture a blood substitute. Don't think for a minute it isn't being actively studied.

Thanks! Yeah, sounds pretty challenging at that. What about genetically engineered animal blood...?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Your local folks are correct. I'm not sure how much evidence there is that mad cow can be transmitted by blood, but if you've ever seen video of someone dying of this disease, you wouldn't want even the slightest possibility that someone would get this through the supply.

But, I think after the AIDS debacle in which the blood supply was needlessly contaminated, these organizations have been especially cautious.

There is a distinct difference in being "cautious" and being psychotic. There are thousands upon thousands of us who lived in Europe in the 80's, and as far as I can find not one single case of mad-cow variant CJD among us. Not one.
The group of folks denied the opportunity of donating blood is mostly military/ex-military, the very folk who are most willing to donate.
The paranoia is just not justified.
Rick

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

Several years ago the bloodmobile came to the office, so me and the guys stood in line to donate, each of us giving the other crap about not being able to donate because of "loving" men. (not that there's anything wrong with that) Maybe I started it. Maybe I made the most accusations, I don't know, but Karma proved itself true when in the privacy of the closed room, I was asked if I had ever lived in Europe during the 80s. I had. I had been stationed on the beautiful island of Crete during that time, and am now banned for life from giving blood.

It was difficult to explain to the guys why I was the only one who couldn't donate blood. And they sure as hell didn't believe the whole Mad Cow thing...

...Fabulous.

 

[DandyDon]

They ask me if I have ever accepted money for sex since a certain date...?

I take a puzzled look and ask if they know who was president then...??