World Blood Donor Day – SANBS responds to most frequently asked questions

This blood day, we have listed some of SANBS’s frequently asked questions and their answers:

What is the frequency of donations and blood safety?

The more regularly a donor donates, the more useful the donation will be. Thus, the blood donated by regular donors, which is less likely to be in the infectious window period, will be used for the production of blood components, such as blood platelets. Because blood lasts only 42 days after donation, regular donors are essential for sustainability, and blood can be donated every 56 days. Less than 2% of those who are eligible actually give blood. The lives of all patients in need of blood and blood components depend on the generosity of our blood donors. All 800 000 donations collected annually will go through the Nucleic-acid Amplification Test (NAT), which is designed to detect the presence of very small quantities of the HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses through viral-amplification technology. This method significantly reduces the window period of infections compared to the laboratory tests that were previously used by SANBS.

What do I need to know about blood donation?

The decision to become a safe blood donor means that you commit to participating in a vital community service that ultimately improves the quality of life for many. It is an honour to be able to help save lives, but not everybody can become a blood donor. The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) has various measures in place to protect the health and well-being of both blood donors and patients. These measures ensure that our blood supply is among the safest in the world.

To become a safe blood donor, you must:

· Weigh at least 50kg

· Be between the ages of 16 and 65

· Be in good health

· Lead a sexually-safe lifestyle

· Consider your blood safe for transfusion to a patient

· Commit to donating blood regularly

When not to donate:

· If you have had more than one sexual partner in the past six months

· If you have had sexual contact with someone whose sexual background is unknown to you

· If you are a man who has had sex with another man in the past six months

· If you have or may have contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as HIV or syphilis, that can be passed on to a patient through your blood.

· If you have ever injected yourself with drugs

· If you just want to give blood in order to get an Aids test

Is it safe to donate blood?

You can’t get Aids from donating blood. All needles and finger-prick lancets are new, sterile and used only once. After use, each lancet and needle is placed in a special medical-waste container and incinerated. Trained staff collect all blood donations, and very strict protocols are followed to ensure that all blood donation procedures are safe and hygienic.

The window period – what is it?

· When a person is first infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), there are very small amounts of the virus in the person’s bloodstream. In spite of introducing state-of-the-art technology, there is still a period in which the tests are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the virus in small quantities. The virus has to grow sufficiently, and only then do laboratory tests become positive. Currently, SANBS estimates this period to be between five to 10 days.

· The danger is that although a person tests ‘negative’ during this period, the virus is still in their blood, and it can be passed on to a patient through their blood donation.

· A person can be infected with HIV without knowing it, through unsafe sex and other high-risk behaviours. This is why we ask people who have been involved in high-risk behaviour not to donate blood.

The blood service is not here to judge a potential donor’s activities, only to ensure that the blood supply is safe for the patient.

Where the blood goes:

Medical cases (eg, cancer treatment) 27%

Childbirth & gynaecological cases 26%

Surgical cases (eg, cardiac surgery) 21%

Paediatric cases (eg, leukaemia) 10%

Orthopaedic cases (eg, hip replacements) 6%

Research/laboratory 6%

Casualty (eg, trauma patients) 4%

What are the main blood groups?

Chemical substances found on red blood cells determine blood groups. The two most important blood group systems are the ABO system and the Rhesus (Rh) system. Within the ABO system, people can be one of four types: O, A, B or AB. Within the Rh-system, people can be either Rh-positive or Rh-negative. Each system is inherited independently of the other, so, therefore, there are eight main groups.