June 4, 2007:
Ever since blood banks were invented
during World War II, blood donors were easy to find within the military. After
all, the military only allowed the healthy to join, and the overwhelming
majority were men. Women often cannot donate because of a low red blood cell
count. But in the last few decades, the situation has changed, much for the
worse. The military can no longer get sufficient blood donations from its own
troops.
The initial obstacles were simply the ability to
detect more blood borne diseases. Potential donors began to see a longer list
of diseases or medical conditions that barred them from giving blood. Even the
military suffered from this, because anyone who got a tattoo or body piercing,
could not donate for twelve months. When Mad Cow disease was discovered in the
1980s, it resulted in any Americans, who had lived in Europe for six months or
more between 1980 and 1996, becoming permanently ineligible to donate blood.
That made some twenty percent of U.S. military personnel ineligible, although
that is decreasing as many Americans, who served in Europe in that period,
retire.
The big hit came from the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Because of the large number of blood borne diseases in those
regions, American troops cannot donate blood for twelve months after they
return from those areas (providing time for any little known maladies to
manifest themselves). With many troops having only a one year break before
going back to Iraq or Afghanistan, most soldiers and marines won't be able to
give blood until those wars are over. Any
area that has a lot of malaria, also bars donations for twelve months
after troops return from them. This hits troops deployed to Africa and other
parts of the Middle East.
The casualty rates in Iraq and Afghanistan are so
low, compared to earlier wars, that donations from the military should be able
to cover blood needs. But because of the screening restrictions, and the number
of troops serving in high risk (to blood supplies) areas, the military has to look
elsewhere to obtain sufficient blood for its casualties.
