Blood donors save lives

Did you know that every time you donate blood your donation can save up to three lives? On 14 June, World Blood Donor Day helped raise awareness around the importance of blood donation while honouring those donors who make blood transfusions possible.

What is the situation in SA?

More people need blood than you think. According to the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), eight out of every ten South Africans will need blood or blood products at some time in their lives while around one out of every ten hospital patients are in need of a blood transfusion.

Facts about blood types:

There are four major blood groups: O, A, B and AB.
The Rhesus (Rh) system divides each of these into either a positive of negative, creating eight blood types: O-, O+, B-, B+, A-, A+, AB-, AB+.
The most common blood type in South Africa is O+, and the most rare is AB-.
Type O is always in demand because it is a “universal donor”, ie it will be accepted by any blood group.
AB+ blood group individuals on the other hand are known as "universal recipients", ie they can receive from anyone but can’t donate to certain blood types.

You can donate blood if you…

are a male or female aged 16 - 65 years of age

weigh at least 50kg

are in good health

consider your blood safe for transfusion.

Top tip: Regular blood donors should ensure that they follow an iron-rich diet, which includes fruit, fish, biltong, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and red meat.

Facts about the donation process

You will donate approximately 475ml of blood.
The entire donation process takes about 20-30 minutes, including the questionnaire and pre-examination.
The actual donation takes only ten minutes.
You can donate every 56 days.
Women of childbearing age should not donate more than four times per year.
The human body replaces the blood volume (plasma) within 24 hours.
Red blood cells are replaced by the bone marrow within three to four days.
The lost iron is replaced after about six to eight weeks.

How will my blood be used after donation?
Your blood consists of plasma, platelets and red cells, all of which are used to help save lives. Red blood cells are used to treat anaemia and bleeding after trauma or surgery. Plasma is used in the treatment of burn wounds and bleeding disorders, and to restore blood volume and provide antibodies against infections. Platelets help correct low platelet counts, eg in the treatment of leukaemia.

Blood transfusions are given to:

Patients undergoing surgical operations
Patients with cancer or leukaemia
Children with severe anaemia
Accident victims
Women to treat haemorrhage, in the case of pregnancy complications.

Is it safe to donate blood?

SANBS takes many precautions to ensure that the blood donation process is safe for both the donors and recipients. Their safety protocols comply with recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and SANBS was the first national blood service in the world to use DNA-based Nucleic acid Amplification Technology (NAT), which detects the presence of the HI-virus, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis in blood. Every unit of blood goes through the same stringent testing regardless of whether it is a first-time donation or a regular donor.

Further precautions include:

Donors are carefully questioned about their health and lifestyle to see if they are able to donate.
All blood is tested for HIV 1, 2 and subtype O, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B and C.
They offer a strictly volunteer donor base, which has proved to be the safest source of blood.
All needles and equipment are new, sterile and disposable and used only once.
Only licensed and approved tests are used for screenings.

To find out where you can donate contact SANBS on 0800 11 90 31

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