Blood Bank Belonephobia

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Kyodo: Young Japanese shun blood donor banks fearing painful needle
Nearly one in three young Japanese who have never donated blood said in a survey released Wednesday the reason is because they believe the needle would hurt, the health ministry said...The number of blood donors in Japan is declining, registering a nearly 15 percent fall in the past 10 years through last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. Marked declines of 45 percent and 35 percent were observed among those in the 16-19 age bracket and among those in their 20s, respectively. Of those who have not given blood at blood banks, the largest proportion, or 29 percent, cited the needle as a reason for not doing so, followed by 28 percent who said they somehow feel uneasy, 23 percent who said they thought they are unfit and another 23 percent who said they were afraid...more...

You have to wonder about the "fear of needles" excuse given the diffusion of tattoos and piercings among the same demographics

[Buraku]

great photo, i might print it out and stick it on my fridge at home

[gomichild]

I suspect the main reason is "can't be bothered".

Keep in mind though that if you do have tattoos or major piercings they won't let you donate blood here. So maybe there is something in that.

[Mulboyne]

Keep in mind though that if you do have tattoos or major piercings they won't let you donate blood here.

I didn't know that. I checked the UK donation criteria and they ask you not to donate if you have had piercings, tattoos, acupuncture or semi-permanent make-up within six months. According to the Japan Red Cross site, you can donate blood if you have piercings in theory . If you had the job done at a medical institution (医療機関) then you are asked to wait a month before donating. If you did it yourself with a safety pin, then you are asked to wait a year. In practice, I'm not sure what evidence a donation centre would accept so I expect some major piercings getting turned away.

I would imagine that they have to be more flexible here these days. As late as the mid-80s, it was still uncommon for Japanese girls to have pierced ears so it might have just been easier for centres not to accept anyone with a piercing. However, it seems fairly mainstream now so I wonder what the attitude is today. For tattoos, it looks like they want you to wait a year but I can imagine some centres turn people away regardless.

[GomiGirl]

Depends if they can see your piercings or not.... same for tattoos..

They will turn you away in Australia if you have a simple coldsore. So it isn't that easy to give blood but it is worth it. I have donated a zillion times - mainly as I have a fairly rare blood type (blue?) and they were always asking me to come in..

[otakuden]

Depends if they can see your piercings or not.... same for tattoos..

They will turn you away in Australia if you have a simple coldsore. So it isn't that easy to give blood but it is worth it. I have donated a zillion times - mainly as I have a fairly rare blood type (blue?) and they were always asking me to come in..

i have a tattoo, but i could still donate blood; O negative - they loved me. i remember they asked when i had gotten the tattoo so from what i understand it's how long it has been since the tatt/piercing.
i miss my tongue ring need more tattoos

[Ketou]

[quote="otakuden"]i have a tattoo, but i could still donate blood]

Fe fi fo fum so they take the blood of an Englishman?

[IkemenTommy]

What's stopping everyone from donating is the whole apathetic attitude of "what's in it for me?" If they started giving out incentives like giving cash for blood like they do in the US, all those NEET-kuns will come out of their homes to donate.