Black British Men Urgently Needed as
Blood Donors
By Shola Adenekan
Wednesday, 15 January 2020.
A department of the National Health Service (NHS) is
appealing for more Black British men to become blood donors in 2020.
NHS Blood and Transplant says the country urgently
needs more men of African-Caribbean descent to start giving blood. It points
out that there is a strong need for more men from the Black community to donate
for the first time.
According to government figures, Black British
women are more likely than their male counterparts to be blood donors. Studies
from 2019 suggest that for every 100 Black women who donated blood for the
first time last year, only 74 Black men started donating.
The gender imbalance in new donors is the same
across all ethnicities and the issue is not specific to the African-Caribbean
community. However, there is already a shortage of Black British donors
overall, which puts Black patients at greater risk of transfusion reactions.
People from the same ethnic background are more likely to have the same blood
groups, so Black patients will often get the best match from a Black donor.
Men have higher iron levels, and only men’s blood
can be used for some transfusions and products. So without more men starting to
give blood, blood stocks will come under increasing pressure in future years.
Danielle Jinadu from Dartford, supports the current
campaign by the NHS. The 23-year-old has the life-threatening genetic disorder
known as sickle cell disease, and needs eight units of blood every six weeks.
Like all patients who receive multiple transfusions, Ms Jinadu relies on a safe
and secure supply of blood, and Black male donors help ensure blood is always
there.
Ms Jinadu, who is studying law at the University of
Warwick, said: “For me, blood transfusions are literally the difference between
life and death. Without blood transfusions I know I would not be here alive at
23 years old.”
She says she is aware of the need for more Black
people to donate blood, because their blood will often be a better match for patients
of African-Caribbean origin.
“I really delved into the shortage of black donors
in my TEDx talk ‘The Big Black Blood Issue’,” she said. “And the overarching
feedback from the Black community just came down to a lack of awareness and
education around the topic.”
Ms Jinadu points out that the people who give blood
are often the hidden heroes.
“I will never get to know their names but they are
extraordinary,” she added.
Other people supporting the campaign for more men
to start donating blood include Nabila Nakigozi from Rainham in Essex. She is
only 19 but has already experienced life threatening complications and
crippling pain from sickle cell disease. She currently receives eight to ten
units of blood every six weeks from the Royal London Hospital.
Ms Nakigozi has just finished college and has been
admitted to study Business management and Leadership, at a university.
When she was only 15, she set up ‘Weren’t Born Rich’, an online social
enterprise which sells branded clothes and uses the profits to raise awareness
of sickle cell disease.
She said: “I am very into fashion and I just wanted
to give back and I also know young people are into fashion it’s a way of
bringing them in and once interested in the brand and clothes, telling them
about my motivation to make ‘lit clothing!’
“Once people are aware of sickle cell, they’re
immensely willing to help not just spread sickle cell awareness but also
support me in every way possible.”
Like Ms Jinadu, Ms Nakigozi believes that blood
donors are lifesavers.
“If there was no blood, that would be it. I would
go into pain and eventually it would end up killing me,” she said. “People
giving blood are saving my life even though they will never end up seeing it.”
Men are valuable donors for two reasons. Firstly,
they have higher iron levels, so they are also less likely to be deferred for
low haemoglobin. That is crucial for helping to maintaining a strong donor
base, especially for patients who receive many hundreds or thousands of
transfusions over their lifetime, such as people with sickle cell disease,
which is much more prevalent among people of African descent.
Secondly, women can produce antibodies during
pregnancy, even during short pregnancies that they do not even knew about.
Antibodies are part of the body’s defence system and they make transfusions
more difficult. This means men’s blood is only used for some specialist
transfusions and blood products.
Mike Stredder, the head of donor recruitment
for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Everyone who donates is special. But we
need more men to start donating blood this year.”
Mr Stredder points out that blood donation is quick
and easy, and your blood can be used in extraordinary ways.
“We need more Black donors to help with the overall
shortage but we especially need more male Black donors,” he said. “Please give
if you can – seriously ill people need you, and you will save lives.”