Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Calls For More Blood Donors Over Easter Holidays
More O Negative needed
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Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has urged people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood through Easter.
Donations between Good Friday and Easter Monday could help the organisation to ensure an ongoing supply of blood and plasma for emergency and cancer patients.
According to Lifeblood, 3,600 blood donors are needed over the next week, particularly people with blood types A, B and O Positive and universal O Negative.
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Lifeblood Executive Director Cath Stone said the blood demand for hospitals had reached its highest level in nearly a decade, especially for the O Negative blood group.
“In particular, O Negative has the universal blood type and is used to treat patients when their blood type is unknown,” Mr Stone said.
“It’s often stocked in ambulances and rescue helicopters to be used for trauma patients who can require huge quantities in a short amount of time,” she added.
Ms Stone said donors of all blood types were needed every day of the year, but the blood groups being called for today make up about 90 per cent of the Australian population.
In Australia, only less than seven per cent of the total population is identified with O Negative, making it one of the rarer blood types.
More than 40 donor centres across Australia will be opened on Good Friday for blood donors wanting to contribute to the hospital blood supply.
Lifeblood WA media Manager Jessica Willet said blood donation could even help burn off the calories from easter chocolates.
“We are giving chocolate lovers an excuse to eat more chocolates this Easter because you actually burn around 500 calories when you donate blood, so that’s the equivalent of around mini Easter eggs.”
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