Blood donations - Health care depends on blood supply

For the good of the community at large, it is vital that the public responds to the appeal for eligible blood donors after new criteria were announced yesterday by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS).

Although the higher level of standards introduced will impact adversely on supplies, they are aimed at providing the safest possible system for surgical patients.

They were introduced in order to reduce further the risk of vCJD, the human equivalent of BSE. This should be reassuring to patients who need a transfusion, but it will result in a considerable shortfall in donors.