Urgent plea for blood as supply falls to three days’ worth

As blood supplies dwindle to just a few days, the blood bank has issued an urgent appeal for donors.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service needs an extra 1,500 donations over the next three weeks to stabilise the blood supply.

IBTS director of operations, Paul McKinney, said attendances at clinics had been consistently down 6% in recent weeks, while the demand for blood from hospitals had remained constant.

He said the blood bank managed to maintain supply to hospitals over the summer, even with donors travelling and their routines disrupted during the school break.

However, the recent fall in attendances reduced stocks to only three days’ supply. Those who have O-positive and O-negative blood are particularly needed.

“The IBTS is calling for blood donors to make a special effort to give blood over the coming weeks to restore blood supplies to seven days across the main blood groups,” said Mr McKinney.

Only 3% of the eligible population are active donors but blood lasts just 35 days, and platelets, a component of blood, only last five to seven days.

IBTS chief executive Andy Kelly said the blood bank recently took part in a global initiative with blood donor organisations across 21 countries to highlight an almost 30% international drop in donors, compared to a decade ago.

In Ireland, there is a particular need for new donors as 21% fewer people came forward to donate for the first time last year, compared to 2010.

There is also concern that the donor population in Ireland has got older. The average age of donors was 40.8 years last year, an increase of 2.5 years from 38.4 years in 2005.

Mr Kelly said the IBTS was running a campaign on social media in a bid to try and reach the age group of 18 to 32.

Asked about the lifting of the ban on gay men donating blood next year, Mr Kelly said he did not expect that it would have a marked effect on supply.

From next January gay men in Ireland will be able to give blood, provided they have not had sex with a man in the previous 12 months.

The current ban has been in place in Ireland since the mid-1980s to reduce the risk of HIV transmission.

In 2011 the ban was lifted in England, Scotland, and Wales, where there is also a one-year deferral period for gay men wanting to donate.

Mr Kelly said other countries that had lifted the lifetime ban on gay men had not seen a big increase in members of this community giving blood.

Mr Kelly said they knew young people were willing to donate but the challenge for the IBTS was to attract them into the clinics and get them to come back.

“We are working with an agency to build our campaign, but it won’t kick in for a few months and, in the meantime, we are struggling to maintain supply.”

Mr Kelly said the current supply had not yet reached a critical level, but hospitals need to know that they will not run short. “A big worry for us now is that we are heading towards the October bank holiday weekend when donations fall, and people are also less inclined to donate during November.

“Even if someone commits to donating once a year, that would help. We all know people who needed blood, but someone has to donate it for them to get it,” he said.

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