Thursday, July 03, 2008
Editorial: A drive for more teens to save lives
American Red Cross: 'The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood.'
From the RoundTable blog
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When teenagers armed with birth certificate, Social Security card and mom or dad trot to the DMV, they're asked a sobering question: Do you want to be an organ donor?
For some, it's the first time they've given much thought to whether they wish for any part of their body to help another's. Not that they want to think much about it. You have to be dead, right?
Now, Virginia's 16-year-olds have a new opportunity to help heal another, and they don't have to do much but roll up their sleeves. Lawmakers joined a trend in about 20 other states and lowered the age requirement for blood donations, dropping it from 17 to 16 as of Tuesday. Minors will still need their parents' consent, and they will still need to weigh more than 110 pounds.
Complications from donating blood are rare, but teens more than older donors tend to become dizzy or faint, possibly because of their small stature and low weight, according to an American Red Cross study. Still, the chance of a bad reaction is minimal while the chance to do good is phenomenal.
Those who are healthy and haven't had a recent tattoo or piercing can probably consider joining their classmates the next time a blood drive comes to their schools. But they needn't wait until then.
In fact, other healthy Virginians might not want to wait either.
During summer months donations tend to drop off. Add in a holiday weekend with vacation travel that gives rise to accidents, and severe shortages arise.
There are fewer regular donors. Many people are excluded because of medications they take or because they traveled recently to a malaria-endemic country, spent more than three months in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 (mad cow disease) or have had certain illnesses. Others have had tattoos performed without disposable needles. They, too, are ineligible.
Since teenagers aren't likely to fit into most of the categories that exclude adults, the trend now is to increase the donor pool by decreasing the age of donors.
So give blood. And keep in mind that, though the Red Cross screens donations for HIV and hepatitis C, it is no replacement for a full blood test for individuals who might be at risk.
