You can save a life!

February 2009

Taking its responsibility as the pulse of community commitment super seriously, Killarney Mall is supporting the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) and helping in the drive to provide sufficient, safe quality blood for those who need it in 2009.

The SANBS is one of two blood transfusion services in the country dedicated to collecting the 777 000 units of blood which are needed annually. A blood transfusion takes place every 48 seconds in South Africa alone, equating to 3 000 units of blood that must be collected each day.

With the frightening statistic of less than 1% of the population being regular donors – at Killarney Mall will be doing our bit to boost life-saving blood reserves by hosting regular blood drives, conveniently located in the centre along with the SANBS’s mobile teams every 56 days.

Blood drive dates at Killarney Mall
20 February 2009
17 April 2009
12 June 2009
4 August 2009
9 October 2009
4 December 2009

Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies to become a blood donor?
If you are between the ages of 16 and 65, weigh more than 50kg and lead a sexually safe lifestyle, you can come donate blood on 20th February at Killarney Mall.

What blood group is needed the most?
Group O blood is always in need. This is because it can be given to any patient in an emergency. One out of three people belong to Group O, so the chance that this blood group will be used in hospital is much more than for any other blood group. Compare it to bread: if more people eat white bread than any other bread, then surely the supermarkets will have more white bread on their shelves, to cater for their customers’ needs. It’s a simple principle of supply and demand.

Why should people donate safe blood?
Safe blood saves lives. Every day, thousands of people would die if others did not donate their blood. What is safe blood? Safe blood is blood that does no harm to the person who receives it. Safe blood can be life-saving, but contaminated blood, or blood that is transfused to the wrong patient, can cause serious illness or even death to the recipient. Blood is unsafe if, at the time of the donation, any infection is present in the donor’s blood that can be transmitted by transfusion or through any blood products that have been incorrectly prepared or stored.

Isn’t the blood tested?
Even though every single unit of blood donated undergoes sophisticated testing for transmissible diseases, there is still a window period when the presence of HIV in the blood cannot be detected through testing. A person may be infected with HIV without knowing it and it is for this reason that we ask that any person who has taken part in risk behaviour not to donate blood.

How safe is it to donate blood?
As a donor, you have to complete a Self Exclusion Questionnaire, with questions on your health and lifestyle. The questions are asked to ensure that it is safe for you to donate blood and that your blood is safe for a patient to receive. A fingerprick test will also be done to check your iron levels. Your blood pressure will also be measured, to ensure you are fit to donate.

What infections can be transmitted by blood?
HIV, which leads to AIDS
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Syphilis

What tests do SANBS use?
Since the inception of its new risk model in October 2005, SANBS is conducting Nucleic acid Amplification Technology (NAT) tests on every unit of blood that is donated. This is a very sensitive test, which detects the presence of the HI-virus, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and syphilis in blood. However, there is still the danger of the window-period which no test in the world can detect. SANBS is the first country in the world to have implemented NAT testing on such a large scale for individual testing of blood.

Do you test blood at random?
No. With every donation, your blood gets tested. So, if you have donated blood for the 300th time, your blood still gets tested every time after you’ve donated.

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