NEW BLOODMOBILE IN CHINA SERVING THE SOUTHERN REGIONS

A new Bloodmobile fleet comes to the rescue of those concerned about the safety of the Blood supply in a city of millions of people in China who are organizing voluntary Blood donations. Although the Chinese Blood Donation Law banning paid donations is still in effect, Most cities remain partially dependent upon paid Blood donations. Xi'an has seven Blood collection centers and one Bloodmobile. The organization of voluntary Blood donations by workers of many Xi'an government and private organizations has greatly reduced Xi'an's dependence on paid Blood donations. Restoring the purity of the local Blood supply is important in China. 

Recent Chinese epidemiological articles and press reports (reftels) have discussed the role of contaminated blood supplies in spreading HIV in rural China. More HIV is spread among needle sharing drug addicts and by sexual transmission in China than through the blood supply however. In the provinces sexual transmission is the most important transmission mode. Estimates of the total number of HIV-infected people in China are very uncertain. Some Chinese epidemiologists believe that as many as four million Chinese may already be infected with HIV.

Visit to the Bloodmobile

A visit to the Bloodmobile which services about 200 people per day can give blood at the Bloodmobile. The donor fills out a form, has a brief medical check-up, and a blood test for typing and for the presence of hepatitis B antibodies. The entire process from filling out the form to completing the blood donation takes about twenty minutes. Donors give 200 milliliters of blood. Disposable needles are used to eliminate the possibility that disease might be passed from one blood donor to another. Several young people stopped by the bloodmobile were asked to give blood. 

Implementing the China Blood Donation Law

All residents between the ages of 18 and 55 are encouraged to give blood. Districts and counties and all lower levels of government down to the street committee level are to work to meet the annual blood donation quota set by the City health departments. All government and social organizations must work together with government officials to organize blood donations in order to fulfill the blood donation plan.

Healthy residents should give blood at least once every four years. University and vocational school students should give blood once. Blood donations should be between 200 - 400 milliliters. No one should donate blood more than twice during a six month period. A 400-milliliter donation counts as two donations.

Blood donors who need blood can get three times as much blood as they donated within the previous four years free of charge.

Penalties for violators: Anyone who gives a false identity when giving blood shall be fined 1000 RMB (USD 125) and a warning from the Health Department. Hospitals that give people contaminated blood must pay civil penalties to the patient and are subject to punishment from the county or district health department. Responsible persons in organization that give contaminated blood to patients are subject to administrative and criminal penalties.

There are questions when you are pregnant about cord blood, cord blood bank, cordblood, the cord blood registry and umbilical cord blood storage. Pregnancy, a new baby, child birth, birth, maternity, baby gift, stem cell and fetus are new words to a new mother. Newborn babies, transplant, expecting, expectant, fetal development, mother, obstetric and advise from your obstetrician to parents. Cord Blood Banking is very important. We suggest that you learn more about saving your baby's Cord Blood after a pregnancy and maternity, look into umbilical cord blood storage. This is a must for expectant parents before childbirth while planning your birthing plan options and parenting. Biomedical and Blood stem cell banking decisions must be made. Free Cord Blood testing and Free Cord Blood Registry.

Farmers make a living by selling their Blood and Blood plasma in poverty-stricken provinces. In some regions of these provinces, 80 per cent of villagers sell their Blood very often. These Blood donors are known as "Blood heads."

Unlike the blood heads in the big cities, Blood heads among the peasants were farmers themselves and did not make much money. For 400 ml of Blood they received 150 yuan (US$18) of which that Blood head made 15 yuan (US$1.80). Hundreds of Henan farmers took buses to neighbouring Anhui Province to donate plasma with some making as many as 13 donations a month. Needle-marks covered their arms.

In 2001, 59 out of the 220 Blood plasma collection stations around China were permanently closed. However, on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces, some Blood collection stations were still engaged in the illegal Blood "trade."

The country's Blood Donation Laws stipulate that Blood donations must be voluntary but payment can be made for Blood plasma because of its commercial uses.