The Red Cross blood service is calling on people of Polynesian, New Zealand Maori and Filipino backgrounds to donate blood to match patients with rare blood types.
The most commonly known blood groups are A, B and O, but Red Cross Lifeblood director of research and development, Professor David Irving, said blood groups have more than 300 other variations.
“Within the Polynesian groups, they’ve got a very rare blood type called JKA negative or JKB negative, that’s only a very small proportion of that population so that’s the group of donors that we’re looking for,” Professor Irving said.
Blood types like these are few and far between in the broader population, but among Polynesians, New Zealand Maoris and Filipinos, a rare blood type can be found in about one in every 100 donors tested.
“That’s why we need people of Polynesian, Filipino or Maori backgrounds to help because it’s not quite as rare in these groups,” Professor Irving said.
Professor David Irving said there are 300 different variants of blood. Source: SBS News
The Red Cross plans to test donors with an O or A blood type to check if they have the additional rare factor required.
“With the increasing ethnic diversity of the population, there will be an increasing number of patients who require those small blood groups. Those people with rare conditions need regular transfusions.”
Maori woman from Ngapuhi, Lauretta Te Moananui, is a regular blood and plasma donor.
Her local donation centre in Perth often calls her as soon as she can donate again, even if she hasn’t made an appointment.
"I used to get harassed a lot by my family for going [asking] 'What do you get out of it? What’s the point? Why do you do it?' But then my mum needed a blood transfusion and she donated with me after that,” Ms Te Moananui said.
Ms Te Moananui's blood type is O negative and she hopes she can help.
Lauretta Te Moananui is regularly called upon to give blood. Source: SBS News
“I’m not sure if I have the rare factor they’re looking for specifically but I’d be super stoked if I was and I could help out.”
The Red Cross is currently researching the cultural, religious and community barriers that keep people of diverse backgrounds underrepresented in donor populations.
“There’s probably not an abundance of people with our background that do it because it’s not something that was always done,” Ms Te Moananui said.
“You never know, you could be the person that helps someone out."
The Red Cross Lifeblood is calling on people who fit the brief to ring 13 14 95 and mention the rare donor drive.
