1. Age
Under-18s can’t give blood and anyone over 65 who hasn’t given blood before is not eligible to give blood.
2. Weight
Anyone weighing less than 50kg or more than 130kg can’t give blood.
3. Pregnancy
If you are pregnant or have been pregnant in the past 12 months, you can’t give blood.
4. Blood transfusion
If you’ve had a transfusion of blood from another person at any time since 1980, you can’t give blood. This relates to risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other as yet unknown viruses.
5. Risk of disease
If you’ve visited an area of risk for the West Nile virus or malaria, you’re ineligible. If you have lived in the UK for more than a year between 1980-1996, you can’t give blood. This is because of the risk of contamination via blood of the CJD virus.
A fatal disease, CJD and variant CJD has a long incubation period and there is no diagnostic test.
6. Disease or illness
People with heart disease, diabetes and some psychiatric conditions can’t give blood. Anyone taking steroid medications or antibiotics can’t give blood. Recent changes now permit people to give blood if they have well controlled high blood pressure and/or are on medication for cholesterol.
7. Tattoo
If you’ve had a tattoo or body piercing in the past four months, you can’t give blood.
8. Homosexual sex
Currently men who have ever had sex with another man can’t give blood in the Republic. Recent changes in the UK have replaced a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood to rules that allow gay men to give blood 12 months after their last sexual encounter with another man.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is reviewing its policy in this area and is widely expected to issue the same rules as the UK.
9. Drug use
If you have ever been an intravenous drug user, you can’t give blood.
10. Surgery
If you have had a surgical procedure, you must wait between two and six months before giving blood.
If you’ve had a dental extraction, you must wait a week before giving blood.
Do the eligibility quiz on giveblood.ie
