Haitian Father Will be Allowed to Donate Blood
A blood bank that refused to let a Haitian give blood to his ailing daughter on the grounds that natives of the Caribbean nation are considered high AIDS risks has decided to permit a donation.
The Central Florida Blood Bank initially turned away the father, Renald Bonnaire, 28, citing federal blood donor guidelines.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends that blood banks reject donations from Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs, prostitutes and intravenous drug users because people in those groups are at a high risk for AIDS.
People from Haiti and sub-Saharan African countries are considered at high risk because the AIDS virus is more commonly spread by heterosexual contact in those regions.
However, Friday, after a blood bank official consulted with the FDA, the bank contacted the family. After it was determined that Bonnaire’s blood type matched his daughter’s, he was allowed to donate one unit, said Joe Curley, a company spokesman.
Curley said the blood would be tested and, if suitable, sent to the hospital for immediate transfusion.
Bonnaire, and his wife, Claudette, say they want her to use their blood because they believe it is safer than a stranger’s.
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