Universal call for donor day
Thursday June 14th, 2012
Millions of people with special blood are being sought today in the UK to help build stocks in advance of the Olympics.
Today is World Blood Donor Day and British officials say they need to tackle a shortage of type O- blood. Type O- is known as the universal blood as it can be transfused into any patient.
About four million people are thought to have type O- blood in the UK - but only 13,000 are registered donors.
Last week, during the Jubilee Bank Holiday, health services needed some 69 per cent more type O- blood than was donated, NHS Blood and Transplant said.
Spokesperson Jon Latham said: "Without O- blood donors many life saving procedures could be delayed or made more risky for patients and of course we wouldn't be able to give transfusions to people with O- at all since they can only take blood of their own type.
"We're appealing to this elite group of blood donors to help us prepare for the unprecedented demand expected around the Olympics to make sure our health services have the essential stocks they need.
"And if you don't know whether you are O- or not, donating blood is the perfect way to find out."
World Blood Donor Day is set to be marked in the Tower of London, home of the Bloody Tower and set to be a major draw for Olympics visitors.
"Beefeaters", the veterans who guard the Tower, will donate blood.
In Chiswick, London, transfusion nurse specialist Monique Chituku spoke of the uses for donated blood.
She said: "Without the blood donated by volunteers we would not be able to treat and save lives.
“For example, we use it for women with complications of pregnancy, and haemorrhage before, during or after childbirth; patients with severe anaemia, trauma patients and many surgical and cancer patients.
“It’s also needed for regular transfusions for people with conditions such as thalassaemia and sickle cell disease and is used to make products for people with haemophilia."
Tags: Fitness | General Health | UK News
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