Latest news with #RedCrossLifeblood
West Australian
3 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
‘Can't do it': Type-O blood reserves hit dire lows, calls for urgent donations
Reserves of O-type blood are running critically low in Australia. The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for an extra 9500 donations within the next week. 'Every day, we issue close to 10,000 blood transfusions and medications to hospitals around the country to meet patient demand and we can't do it without people donating,' Red Cross Lifeblood executive director Stuart Chesneau said. 'Right now, we're seeing the highest rates of people rescheduling or cancelling their appointments since June last year, and our O-type blood supplies are at their lowest level since October 2023.' O-negative is the universal blood type that paramedics and rescue helicopters carry. About 7 per cent of Australians have O-negative blood, but about 16 per cent of blood used by hospitals is O-negative. 'What many people don't know is that O-positive is as safe as O-negative for the majority of emergency transfusions. Some 40 per cent of people in Australia have O-positive blood, meaning they too can help save lives in emergency situations,' Mr Chesneau said. 'We're asking people of all blood types who are feeling healthy and well, especially those with O-type blood, to make an appointment.' Previous Lifeblood research estimates 57 per cent of Australians are eligible to give blood, but only 3 per cent donate regularly.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Can't do it': Urgent Aussie blood warning
Reserves of O-type blood are running critically low in Australia. The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for an extra 9500 donations within the next week. 'Every day, we issue close to 10,000 blood transfusions and medications to hospitals around the country to meet patient demand and we can't do it without people donating,' Red Cross Lifeblood executive director Stuart Chesneau said. About half of Australians have O-type blood, and reserves of the blood type are running low. Lifeblood Credit: News Corp Australia 'Right now, we're seeing the highest rates of people rescheduling or cancelling their appointments since June last year, and our O-type blood supplies are at their lowest level since October 2023.' O-negative is the universal blood type that paramedics and rescue helicopters carry. About 7 per cent of Australians have O-negative blood, but about 16 per cent of blood used by hospitals is O-negative. 'What many people don't know is that O-positive is as safe as O-negative for the majority of emergency transfusions. Some 40 per cent of people in Australia have O-positive blood, meaning they too can help save lives in emergency situations,' Mr Chesneau said. 'We're asking people of all blood types who are feeling healthy and well, especially those with O-type blood, to make an appointment.' Previous Lifeblood research estimates 57 per cent of Australians are eligible to give blood, but only 3 per cent donate regularly.
Euronews
19-04-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Bleeding the planet dry? Climate change could unlock new threat to the world's blood supply
ADVERTISEMENT Climate change might impact the supply and demand chain when it comes to blood transfusions, a new study has found. Researchers from Red Cross Lifeblood and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia believe that blood-borne diseases as well as natural disasters are likely to disturb current patterns. "As well as limiting the mobility of large numbers of people, these events disrupt the storage, safety, and transportation of blood which has a short shelf life," Dr Elvina Viennet, one of the researchers behind the study, said in a statement. Related As US faces rare EEE cases, which mosquito-borne diseases are rising in Europe? Every year, 25 million blood units are transfused in Europe. They are needed for treatments of patients undergoing surgery, premature babies, victims of accidents, and patients living with chronic conditions. 'Climate change may impact some infectious diseases that can be transmitted via blood and can prevent people from donating,' Viennet added, mentioning the potential intensification of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria due to increased rainfall and warmer temperatures. Warming temperatures are making cases of these diseases more common in Europe , most notably dengue. Impact of extreme weather Other conditions linked to climate change, such as "extreme weather, including high temperatures, cold exposure, and other climate fluctuations," could also narrow the pool of potential blood donors, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health on Thursday. These climatic changes can impact haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell counts, and blood pressure. "We could see new diseases emerge, and other health issues such as blood pressure and hydration, exacerbated by heat, as well as psychological distress and 'climate anxiety' impact donors," said Helen Faddy, an associate professor at UniSC and the study's lead author. Related Death toll in Europe from extreme temperatures will surge by end of century, warn climate scientists "At the same time, shifts in disease prevalence and natural disaster frequency could increase the demand for blood transfusions due to conditions such as pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and sickle cell disease," she added. In the study, researchers suggested potential mitigation strategies such as flexible and mobile blood centres, cell salvage - a form of autotransfusion - and international collaboration. "With rising sea levels increasing migration rates, it's essential to have more blood donors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and to increase the number of people who give blood," Faddy said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bleeding the planet dry? Climate change could unlock new threat to the world's blood supply
Climate change might impact the supply and demand chain when it comes to blood transfusions, a new study has found. Researchers from Red Cross Lifeblood and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia believe that blood-borne diseases as well as natural disasters are likely to disturb current patterns. "As well as limiting the mobility of large numbers of people, these events disrupt the storage, safety, and transportation of blood which has a short shelf life," Dr Elvina Viennet, one of the researchers behind the study, said in a statement. Related As US faces rare EEE cases, which mosquito-borne diseases are rising in Europe? Every year, 25 million blood units are transfused in Europe. They are needed for treatments of patients undergoing surgery, premature babies, victims of accidents, and patients living with chronic conditions. 'Climate change may impact some infectious diseases that can be transmitted via blood and can prevent people from donating,' Viennet added, mentioning the potential intensification of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria due to increased rainfall and warmer temperatures. Warming temperatures are making cases of these diseases more common in Europe, most notably dengue. Other conditions linked to climate change, such as "extreme weather, including high temperatures, cold exposure, and other climate fluctuations," could also narrow the pool of potential blood donors, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health on Thursday. These climatic changes can impact haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell counts, and blood pressure. "We could see new diseases emerge, and other health issues such as blood pressure and hydration, exacerbated by heat, as well as psychological distress and 'climate anxiety' impact donors," said Helen Faddy, an associate professor at UniSC and the study's lead author. Related Death toll in Europe from extreme temperatures will surge by end of century, warn climate scientists "At the same time, shifts in disease prevalence and natural disaster frequency could increase the demand for blood transfusions due to conditions such as pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and sickle cell disease," she added. In the study, researchers suggested potential mitigation strategies such as flexible and mobile blood centres, cell salvage - a form of autotransfusion - and international collaboration. "With rising sea levels increasing migration rates, it's essential to have more blood donors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and to increase the number of people who give blood," Faddy said.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
James Harrison, Australia's most prolific blood donor, dies aged 88
March 3 (UPI) -- James Harrison, Australia's most prolific blood and plasma donor, who is credited with saving millions of babies, has passed away, the Oceanic country's Red Cross Lifeblood confirmed. He was 88. Harrison died in his sleep Feb. 17 at Peninsula Village Nursing Home in the state of New South Wales, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood said in a statement. "James was a humanitarian at heart, but also very funny," his daughter, Tracey Mellowship, said, adding that her father was "very proud to have saved so many lives, without any cost or pain." "It made him happy to hear about the many families like ours, who existed because of his kindness. He always said it does not hurt, and the life you save could be your own." Harrison is one of very few people whose plasma contains Anti-D, a rare antibody used to make Anti-D Immunoglobulin injections for mothers with RH(D) negative blood. The medication can help prevent the mother's immune system from attacking the red blood cells of their Rh(D) positive unborn child. Anti-D was only discovered in the 1960s, and Australia has about 115 people with the rare antibodies who regularly donate blood, which helps around 45,000 mothers and their babies annually, according to Red Cross Lifeblood. Harrison had vowed as a 14-year-old to become a donor after receiving blood transfusions following lung surgery, and starting at the age of 18, he donated every two weeks -- never missing an appointment -- until retiring in 2018, at the age of 81, it said. According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Harrison donated plasma more than 1,100 times, earning him the moniker The Man with the Golden Arm. His donations are credited with saving more than 2.4 million babies. "It was James' belief that his donations were no more important than any other donor, and that everyone can be special in the same way that he was," Lifeblood Chief Executive Officer Stephen Cornelissen said in tribute to Harrison. "James extended his arm to help others and babies he would never know a remarkable 1,173 times and expected nothing in return." "He leaves behind an incredible legacy, and it was his hope that one day, someone in Australia would beat his donation record."
