Latest news with #Rh-negative
The Star
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Trucker with Rh-negative been donating rare blood for 33 years
S. Shanmugam (left) and Beh Zeng Kang. TANJONG MALIM: An accident 34 years ago that befell a lorry driver opened his eyes to saving lives when he started donating blood after discovering that his Rh-negative blood type was rare to find in this country. S. Shanmugam, 54, who has Rh-negative blood, said he has donated blood 54 times and was the largest donor of this rare blood type to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) for the past 33 years. "I was injured in a road accident in 1991, and broke my right leg along with other injuries, but my blood type was very difficult to obtain so the surgery was postponed. "From there I realised that I also needed to become a donor out of a sense of responsibility towards the community in the hope that every drop of blood I donated could save a life,' he said after receiving an award in appreciation of top donors in conjunction with Perak's celebration of 2025 World Blood Donor Day at the Slim River Hospital here on Saturday (July 5). Shanmugam, who lives in Teluk Intan, said he would go to HRPB four times a year to donate blood because it is rare due to the fact that in Malaysia, most people only have Rh-positive blood type, which amounts to more than 90 per cent. The awards were presented by state human resources, health, indian community affairs and national integration committee chairman, A. Sivanesan. Beh Zeng Kang, 29, a legal consultant, was crowned Best Blood Donor for common type of blood in Perak after giving blood 51 times since he was 17 years old. Beh, who has blood type O which is the most common type in Malaysia, said the practice of donating blood has been a routine in his life since he was a teenager with the selfless intention of helping those in need without reward. "I usually donate blood at Teluk Intan Hospital and at other locations through programmes organised by authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), so I definitely donate four times (permissible every three months) a year. "As a Malaysian, I want to contribute according to my ability. As long as I am healthy, I will continue to donate for those in need,' he said. Meanwhile, Sivanesan disclosed that the state has collected more than 64,416 bags of blood throughout the past year through co-hosting of blood donation events with agencies, NGOs, charitable bodies and others. "The majority of blood donors are Chinese at 48.32 per cent, Malays (39.12 pct) followed by Indians (11.40 pct) and others (other races) at 0.76 pct. "The demand for blood bags is also increasing year by year, and it is estimated that blood use in this state can reach 80,000 blood bags per year,' he said. Earlier, Sivanesan also presented special certificates of appreciation to 36 blood donors for their continuous voluntary support to ensure that the supply of life-giving transfusions is sufficient at all times. Appreciation also went out to 15 organisers who won heartfelt recognition for their success in hosting blood donation campaigns consistently, thus successfully recording an encouraging number of donor participation and number of blood bags in Perak.- Bernama
The Sun
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Malaysian trucker donates rare Rh-negative blood for 33 years
TANJONG MALIM: A lorry driver's accident 34 years ago led him to a lifelong mission of donating his rare Rh-negative blood, a type difficult to find in Malaysia. S. Shanmugam, 54, has since given blood 54 times, becoming the largest donor of this rare blood type to Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB). Shanmugam discovered his blood type's rarity after a 1991 accident delayed his surgery due to a lack of matching donors. 'From there, I realised I needed to become a donor out of responsibility,' he said after receiving an award at Slim River Hospital during Perak's World Blood Donor Day celebration. Living in Teluk Intan, Shanmugam donates four times yearly, as Rh-negative blood makes up less than 10% of Malaysia's blood supply. State Health Committee chairman A. Sivanesan presented awards to top donors, including legal consultant Beh Zeng Kang, 29, who has donated 51 times since age 17. Beh, with the common O blood type, said donating is a routine. 'As long as I'm healthy, I'll keep helping those in need,' he said. Sivanesan noted Perak collected 64,416 blood bags last year, with Chinese donors leading at 48.32%, followed by Malays (39.12%) and Indians (11.40%). The state estimates needing 80,000 blood bags annually. Special certificates were given to 36 donors and 15 campaign organisers for their contributions.
Boston Globe
03-03-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
James Harrison, whose rare blood protected babies, dies at 88
According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, Mr. Harrison gave blood from 1954, when he became old enough to donate under Australian law, to 2018, when he was advised to stop because of his age. Advertisement In 1966, scientists discovered that blood plasmas containing Anti-D, an uncommon antibody, could be administered during pregnancy to help prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn, which can cause serious complications including stillbirth and neonatal death. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Soon afterward, medical officials discovered that Mr. Harrison carried unusually high concentrations of Anti-D. 'The antibody from his plasma was administered to 2.4 million babies,' Jemma Falkenmire, a spokeswoman for Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, said in an interview Monday, estimating the number of babies whose mothers received the injection while pregnant. 'There are so many people walking around with a little bit of James.' Scientists in Australia have used Mr. Harrison's plasma to manufacture over 3 million doses of the Anti-D immunoglobin injection since 1967, with every ampoule administered in the country containing his donated antibody, according to Lifeblood. Only a minuscule volume is required to prevent hemolytic disease in a pregnancy deemed to be at risk. Every year, the Anti-D injection that contains Mr. Harrison's antibodies is administered in about 17 percent of pregnancies in Australia. His daughter, Mellowship, is among those who received it. 'He was relentless. He really wanted to help others,' said Falkenmire, recalling how he hated needles and preferred to be distracted by conversation during a donation. 'Having a donor with that amount of antibody was incredibly important for Australia.' Advertisement His prolific donor history — 1,173 donations — also earned him the moniker 'The Man with the Golden Arm.' Hemolytic disease arises when a woman with an Rh-negative blood type carries a fetus that has inherited its father's Rh-positive blood, an incompatibility that causes the mother's blood to reject the fetus's red blood cells. Scientists were never sure why Mr. Harrison's blood contained such high concentrations of Anti-D, but speculated that it was the result of the blood transfusions he received during his lung surgery. 'He was flooded with the antibody,' Falkenmire said. 'They asked me to be a guinea pig, and I've been donating ever since,' Mr. Harrison told the Sydney Morning Herald. An estimated 16 percent of people in the United States have Rh-negative blood, giving them the ability to produce Anti-D antibodies in their plasma. But according to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, that country has fewer than 200 Anti-D donors, with medical researchers now hoping to develop a synthetic version of the injection composed of lab-grown antibodies. The program is named 'James in a Jar,' after Mr. Harrison.
